Flooding in Thailand kills 14, sickens over 53,000

[Treyfish]

Flooding in Thailand kills 14, sickens over 53,000

The Associated Press , Bangkok
Sat, 09/20/2008 5:29 PM
Floods in Thailand have killed 14 peoplean sickened more than 53,000 others, including many who contractedwaterborne ailments after wading through floodwaters, the governmentsaid Saturday.
The 14 people were swept away by flash floods that hit 36 ofThailand's 76 provinces over the past nine days, the Ministry ofPublic Health said.
It warned residents that floodwaters were full of parasiticleeches, human waste and bacteria that can cause skin infections andfungus.
The ministry said 53,946 people were sickened, with 35 percentsuffering from skin funguses and 27 percent from cold and respiratory problems. Others suffered from diarrhea, it said.
"We urge that people travel through flooded areas by boat or wear long pants tied at the feet with plastic bags if they must wade through flood water," Prat Boonyawongwiroj, permanent secretary forpublic health, said in a statement.
Officials were calculating the damage from the floods, which destroyed farmland and inundated villages, the Disaster Preventionand Mitigation Center said.
Heavy downpours in northern and northeastern Thailand at the height of the rainy season caused rivers to swell, Water Resources Department Director-General Siripong Hungspreuk said. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2...ver-53000.html

[Giuseppe]

Re: Flooding in Thailand kills 14, sickens over 53,000

Over 100,000 people treated during flood period [The Nation]

Over 100,000 people treated during flood period

By The Nation

Mobile medical services have treated almost 123,500 people injured or sickened by floods in the past 12 days, the Public Health Ministry said.


"Around half of them received medical help this Saturday alone," permanent secretary Dr Prat Boonyawongvirot said yesterday.

Of all, 41 per cent suffers from athlete's foot, 32 per cent from colds and 11 per cent from rashes.

"Public health staff are reaching out to flood victims in boats," Prat said.

At least 36 provinces in Thailand are now suffering flooding.

In worst-hit areas, people have evacuated to high ground.

Many others are living on upper floors of homes.In Muang Lop Buri, for example, floodwaters are two metres deep in many places.

In Kabin Buri, Prachin Buri floodwaters are threatening six low-lying communities and the Tha Prachum fresh market is also flooded.

"Floodwaters are more than two metres deep in many areas," Tambon Kabin Municipality mayor Rangsan Bootnien said yesterday.

In Nakhon Ratchasima, the overflowing Lamtakhong Dam has flooded the main city.

"I hope the situation will return to normal soon," Aim-orn Akarachata, 74, said.

Chao Phya River levels were around 1.52 metres yesterday morning, prompting the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to suggest the capital will not face serious flooding.

"Only those without flood barriers will be affected, and only for an hour when the high tide comes," Deputy Bangkok city clerk Somsak Klanpoj said.

The BMA has built 2.5-metre-high flood barriers along the river protecting almost all the city.

"We have distributed relief packages to residents of flood-prone areas," Somsak said.
--

<cite cite="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/09/21/national/national_30084010.php">The Nation: Thailand's top English news website</cite>

[Treyfish]

Re: Flooding in Thailand kills 14, sickens over 53,000

Flooding sickens over 121,000 people
(BangkokPost.com) - Flooding in upper and central Thailand sickened more than 121,000 people, the Ministry of Public Health reported.

After mobile medical units under His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn were dispatched to different flood-hit provinces, 121,407 people were found ill, according to Permanent Secretary for Public Health Prat Boonyawongvirot. Most cases contracted athlete?s foot (tinea pedis) followed by flu and rash, he said.

69,641 people were found ill in the inundated areas on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Chaiyaphum Hospital in Chaiyaphum province was still opened even though the floodwater level in front of the hospital was about a metre high. Soldiers were delivering patients via carts and small boats while urgently pumping stagnant water out of the area. http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_....php?id=130826

[Shiloh]

Re: Flooding in Thailand kills 14, sickens over 53,000

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/tops...ewsid=30084666

Floods kill 20, sicken 200,000
By The Nation
Published on September 30, 2008

Over the past 18 days, flooding has claimed 20 lives and nearly 200,000 people are seeking medical assistance. The most common complaints among them are athlete's foot, rashes, cold, aches and pains, as well as gastrointestinal disorders.

"We have dispatched 963 mobile medical units to the flood-hit areas," Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Prat Boonyawongvirot said yesterday.

According to him, up to 189,513 flood victims have been treated in mobile units between September 11 and 28.

Four deaths have been reported in Nong Bua Lamphu; three in Phichit; two each in Lop Buri, Prachin Buri, Saraburi and Phitsanulok; and one each in Phetchabun, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram, Mae Hong Son and Khon Kaen.

Prat said that though pink eye was a common affliction during the flooding season, medical assistance should be sought immediately to avoid complications.

Deputy Health Minister Wicharn Meenchainant said he was going to ask the Cabinet to allocate funds for medical care for flood victims.

"Mobile medical units should continue serving even after the floods have eased to efficiently control the spread of diseases," he said, adding that the spread of serious diseases such as pneumonia had already been put under control.

"We also need money to repair 30 medical facilities that have been damaged by floods," Wicharn added.