CDC urges the public to clean up waterBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterAs Typhoon Doksuri brought heavy rains and floods to eastern and southern Taiwan, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday urged people to remove any standing water on their property for dengue fever prevention, avoid cleaning up the environment while barefooted or wearing sandals, and disinfect the flooded homes to prevent illnesses. People should clean up their homes and the surrounding environment, especially in flood-affected areas, to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds, as the risk of local dengue outbreaks continues to grow with case numbers having exceeded the same periods in the past decade, the CDC said. A Tainan resident removes water from pots after rainfall in an undated photograph. If people experience dengue symptoms, including a fever, headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle or joint soreness, and rashes, they should seek immediate medical attention and tell the medical staff about their recent activities to assist the diagnosis and faster reporting of dengue cases. The centers also urged people not to clean the environment while barefooted or wearing sandals, but instead wear rain boots or knee-high waterproof boots, as they might get injured by rusty objects and get infected with leptospirosis, Burkholderia pseudomallei or tetanus from contaminated water.
