Be careful Chennaites!! Doctors warn about the possibility of rapid spreading of deadly melioidosis in Chennai after the floods!!
Posted on: 09/Dec/2023 9:28:22 AM
After the floods in 2015, rapid spreading of deadly bacteria was witnessed among the residents in Chennai. The shocking fact is that the bacteria could kill 3 out of 10 affected people. Now, many infectious diseases experts fear that this could happen now after the floods in Chennai.
It is now said that the infectious diseases experts are pushing for policies to reduce the chances of under diagnosis, initiating early treatment and reducing risks of health complications and deaths etc.
It must be recalled that after the December 2015 floods Burkholderia pseudomallei that causes melioidosis or Whitmore Disease affected the people for about a year.
According to the infectious diseases expert Dr. Subramanian Swaminathan of Gleneagles Global Hospital everyone stepping into the contaminated water were at risk of getting this infection. He added that those with diabetes or renal disease etc would have more chances of getting this deadly infection. In the normal situation, one or two melioidosis cases would be witnessed throughout the year but after the 2015 floods atleast 2 such cases were witnessed every month for about a year.
Dr. Subramanian concluded that the bacteria cannot be removed from the soil but the infected cases could be identified and treated. It is worthy to note that when a person has his/her lungs affected by melioidosis then he or she would show symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, fever, loss of appetite, headache etc. The persons would have sores, swollen lymph nodes and fever etc when the bacterial infection affects their blood or skin etc.
