Now, diseases haunt Karnataka flood victims

After battling rains and flood fury, over a million people of North Karnataka are now facing the scare of outbreak of diseases.

Cases of people suffering from viral fever, diarrhoea and chikungunya (a form of malaria), have been reported in a few flood-affected districts of the state

With over 700,000 people sheltered in about 1,800 camps, health authorities said they are taking measures to prevent outbreak of any epidemic.

"We have to fight it out. It is very challenging. We have asked everybody to be alert and careful" Karnataka's Principal Secretary Health I.R. Perumal told IANS.

Perumal said that fifteen teams of doctors have been deputed in northern Karnataka, where torrential rains, followed by flash floods, last week have left over 200 dead.

As much as 3.5 million halogen tablets, meant for purifying water, are being distributed in the relief camps as well as in villages where drinking water supply has been cut off.

Rain and subsequent flash floods that Sep 30 hit 18 of the state's 29 districts with north Karnataka districts of Raichur, Bijapur, Bellary, Bagalkot, Koppal and Gulbarga facing the brunt.

Besides killing 222 people, the fury damaged, partially or fully, around 360,000 houses leaving more than a million shelterless.

The Disaster Management Cell of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) has arranged 72 teams of medical professionals to help the flood victims.

The team consists of experts to help people fight outbreak of water-borne or food-borne diseases in the flood-ravaged areas.

"Twenty teams, consisting of physicians, paediatricians and other personnel, are already providing medical assistance to the flood-hit victims in various affected areas of the state," RGUHS Vice-Chancellor S. Ramananda Shetty said.

"We're taking all preventive measures to restrict outbreak of any diseases among the affected people. Along with doctors, anganwadi workers and teachers have also been pressed into action to work for health and sanitation of the villages," K.S. Satyamurthy, deputy commissioner of Koppal, 600 km from the state capital Bangalore, told IANS over phone.

Indian Red Cross Society, Karnataka, too has deployed its volunteers in the villages.

"There is a danger of epidemic. Our volunteers are coordinating with government agencies" said N.G. Narayana, general secretary of the Indian Red Cross Society, Karnataka.

Last updated on Oct 9^th, 2009 at 17:44 pm IST--IANS