Sprol

The Toxic Soup

Now, a week after the devastating forces of Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the coastal regions of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, the floodwaters remain. The monumental job of removing the remaining standing floodwater will likely take weeks — at least.

Some estimates are between 30 to 60 days before the water is pumped out, however this will depend on the area and the degree of flooding. For those in some of the hardest hit areas, it could be much longer before the tepid water is removed. Meanwhile, for the many hurricane survivors who remain trapped, the filthy, contaminated water is their only road to safe, dry land.

In Louisiana alone, 80 percent of New Orleans and its surrounding suburban communities remain flooded and steeped in a rancid brew consisting of bacterial-ridden raw sewage and waste, decaying human and animal corpses, and petrol fuel and toxic chemicals. This nasty concoction is like a time bomb just waiting to go off as the potential for outbreaks of typhoid, cholera, tuberculosis and bacterial infections are a real possibility.

Along with the threat of bacterial-born diseases, the standing, stagnant floodwaters and oppressive heat are now setting the stage for an ever-increasing hazard of mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria, West Nile virus, and dengue fever. And, even though some health officials believe that outbreaks of diseases like cholera and typhoid are fairly unlikely and that the decomposing human and animal bodies do not present a huge disease threat, they all agree that mosquitoes will likely present the greatest threat to the survivors who are still trapped by the floodwaters or are now refusing to leave their homes.

In the aftermath of natural disasters like hurricanes, mosquitoes are presented with an excellent breeding ground. The rancid flood waters allow the mosquitoes the opportunity to grow and harvest to epic proportions.

It has been estimated that mosquito populations will probably grow dramatically over the next seven to 10 days. Because of the many stagnant pools of water left behind by Katrina, the mosquito problem will most likely be worse in the flooded rural areas rather than in the bigger urban areas, like New Orleans. In effect, it is projected that the mosquito population will become an insidious annoyance that will make life a lot harder for the search and recovery workers and volunteers as well as for those still living along the path of Katrina’s destruction.

And, as the mosquito population grows, the threat of West Nile virus will also grow. So far this year, Louisiana has already had roughly 52 cases of West Nile virus. According to a recent CDC report, of these 52 cases, 40 have involved encephalitis or meningitis. Therefore, because of the increased virus threat, the CDC is working closely with officials in Louisiana in an effort to prevent or at least ward off a major mosquito outbreak.

For the time being and aside from the threat of mosquito-borne illnesses, a big concern involves raw sewage-tainted water. You may not necessarily get sick just by walking, wading, or swimming through the floodwater along the Gulf Coast, however it is definitely possible in many cases. Think of it this way – By moving through the spoiled floodwater, splashing occurs. If there is raw sewage in that water you will then be at risk of getting it on your hands, and then accidentally transferring the bacteria-laden water to your mouth.

Another pressing and immediate hazard is the possibility of developing gastrointestinal illnesses brought to the human population by the seriously contaminated floodwaters and a devastating lack of clean drinking water throughout hardest-hit, hurricane-ravaged areas along Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama’s coastal regions.

Some of the other, less-thought-about health risks that may be found in the wake of Katrina is illness as a result of eating spoiled, tainted food, ingesting the mucky floodwater (even for the sake of rinsing your mouth or brushing your teeth), and the real threat of seeing more common infectious disease spread quickly throughout the many packed refugee shelters. What symptoms you might have and how severe they may get will depend on the specific illness contracted and sick person’s current health. Some of the more common water-borne diseases found in the United States include: amebiasis, campylobacteriosis, cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, hepatitis A, salmonellosis, shigellosis, and viral gastroenteritis (such as norovirus and rotavirus infections).

The good news is that pervasive, epidemic-type diseases rarely chase after the more recent United States disasters.

In the midst of the demolition brought by hurricane Katrina, the fear of an epidemic-spreading of infectious disease have only added to the worries and distress felt by the survivors and those helping with the rescue and recovery operations. While some fears are founded, many other worries and concerns remain on shaky ground. For example, while it is possible for an exotic disease such as cholera to develop in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it is actually extremely unlikely.

In reality, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms that unless an illness is introduced into a disaster area from an outside source, the outbreaks that do occur will typically be directly related to diseases that were already present and thriving in the disaster-affected environment prior to the natural disaster – in this case, Hurricane Katrina.

There are many other health concerns that represent real and present dangers to many who have lived through Katrina’s assault. Many people suffered cuts and lacerations as a result of the hurricane. Of these people, many may have difficultly recovering from cuts and wounds due to an existing health condition, like diabetes. Due to a severe lack of medicine, bandages, and antibiotics, wounds can quickly become infected by the bacteria-infested floodwaters. The result, without proper and speedy medical care, can be badly infected, open sores that leave the body open to yet more disease and sickness.

Therefore, it’s very important to note that hurricane-related wounds may present vital risks for survivors of Katrina. Especially to those who have yet to receive the proper medical treatment and for those survivors who had to endure these wounds for three, four, or even five days while awaiting rescue. After a very few days, it doesn’t take long, an infected gash or abrasion can become very grave and even life-threatening due to the spreading infection. This is what many of Indonesia’s survivors had to cope with last December in the aftermath of the tsunami. Therefore, this risk needs to be considered realistic and taken seriously.

Floodwaters, by nature, are usually contaminated by raw sewage. Even with this pollution, remember that this tainted water is not necessarily going to be dangerous except for when a person drinks or otherwise ingests the dirty water or gets it in their untreated wounds.

And, once Katrina’s floodwaters have finally been pumped out or recede along the devastated Gulf Coast cities, towns, and parishes, the threat of water-borne disease and illnesses will remain. As most water-borne illnesses derive from consuming fecal matter-contaminated water, this threat will be present until the drinking water systems can be fully cleaned and disinfected.

There is clearly a long road ahead.