In the wake of Queensland’s devastating floods there are warnings to residents, volunteers and others regarding protection against diseases. Australian Medical Association Queensland president-elect Dr Richard Kidd said he expected a number of diseases to appear as a result of people coming in contact with floodwaters and especially the mud left behind.
He said, “I’ve been strongly encouraging people to not only wear thick gloves and good, strong protective footwear and full-length trousers and shirts to minimize the contact with the mud and any sharp objects that might be hidden in the mud… I’ve also been encouraging people to wear face masks… If you get some of that stuff within your mouth or your nose, you can then inhale or ingest the microbes and get infections that way.”
He added that there is a rise of cases of gastroenteritis and people becoming infected by exposing existing or new wounds to the mud. He said the next concern was that some people may get “really, really sick with gastro-enteritis or very sick with germs that are inhaled into the lungs and cause various types of lung infections, even pneumonia.” He however assured that there had been no reported cases of melioidosis in southeast Queensland at the moment.
Dr. Kidd maintained his warning regarding leptospirosis, which can be contracted from contact with sewage and animal fecal matter. He said, “The main message is... that people as they continue to do the clean-up need to as much as possible avoid direct skin, or mouth or nose contact with that mud or the dust as the mud dries out.”
Melioidosis, an infectious respiratory illness caused by bacteria found in soil and water, can be brought by floodwaters into environments where it would not normally be found. There have been two reports of the disease around the Centenary Lakes area in Caboolture. According to a Moreton Bay Regional Council spokesman the clean-up site had since been closed in the interests of public safety, but there was no confirmation of any diagnosis for the two who had fallen sick.
Queensland Health also confirmed no melioidosis cases had been reported. Moreton Bay deputy mayor Greg Chippendale says it is yet to be confirmed if they have contracted melioidosis or Whitmore’s disease. One of the men is admitted to a hospital. Mr. Chippendale said, “Councils take a precautionary approach to these issues… Because it’s such a public site, we’ve barricaded it all off and put warning signage and everything up… Naturally enough our staff aren’t continuing to work there…Once we know more and know what precautions need to be taken, then we’ll go back in there and clean that up.”