The Ministry of Health Bahamas and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) are reassuring the public that none of the islands in the Caribbean country is under quarantine.
In a statement today the ministry and PAHO said while floods can potentially increase the transmission of water-borne and communicable diseases, there is no cholera in the country.
“Nevertheless, there have not been any detected cholera cases at the moment, nor any increased number of infectious diseases due to the hurricane,” the statement said.
The statement said the Ministry of Health and PAHO are urging the population in affected areas to drink and use safe water and also continue to practice good hygiene such as hand washing to prevent water-borne diseases.
“After a disaster, the priority is to care for the survivors. Contrary to common belief, there is no evidence that corpses pose a significant risk of disease “epidemics”. This is because most agents e.g., virus and bacteria do not survive long in the human body after death,” the statement read.
It said the Ministry of Health is monitoring the health situation closely and will keep the public updated.
COMMENTS