Safety: Receding waters bring relief and also health hazards,

Receding floodwaters can bring relief, but they can also bring diseases, venomous snakes and other public health hazards, authorities said Wednesday.

Health threats include illness from contaminated water, fleeing wildlife and mosquito-borne diseases, such as West Nile Virus.

One of the biggest threats is posed by fecal coliform bacteria contamination in floodwater, said Dr. A. Scott Lea, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

Fecal coliform bacteria, such as e.Coli from human and animal waste, “gets stirred up during a flood,” Lea said, and can sicken people through skin contact or by swallowing floodwater.

Ingesting contaminated floodwater can also cause typhoid, a serious intestinal infection.

Residents who get their drinking water from wells should use bottled water until their wells can be tested to ensure safety, health officials said. Flooded wells and plumbing systems also should be disinfected, officials said.

Those having to boil water for drinking purposes should allow it to boil for at least a minute, the state health department advised. Water also may be disinfected with chlorine, iodine or ordinary household bleach.

Contact with floodwater containing urine from livestock, dogs and rodents creates a risk for leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. It causes a wide range of symptoms — including high fever, muscle aches, vomiting, jaundice, rash and red eyes — and can lead to organ damage and possibly death, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Leptospirosis can enter the body by drinking contaminated water, by contact with broken skin and through the mucous membranes. People who have touched floodwater should wash their hands carefully, especially before handling food, health authorities said.

Open cuts or scratches also can be a portal for other kinds of bacte- ria in floodwater, including tetanus. People who may have been exposed are advised to seek a physician’s advice on whether they need a tetanus shot, said Janet Pichette, chief epidemiologist for the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department.

People whose skin has been in contact with floodwater should shower as soon as possible afterward and wash their clothing.

Homes that have been flooded are ripe for mold. Lea advises hiring a professional to remove water-logged wall boards, rugs and insulation.

Wet mattresses also are a potential hazard for mold, which can worsen respiratory infections, such as allergies and asthma, Pichette said.

Water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, some of which can cause illness.

Although floods initially wash away breeding pools of Culex mos- quitoes, they are attracted to standing water and can emerge a couple of weeks after a flood. Those kinds of mosquitoes transmit two serious diseases, West Nile Virus and St. Louis Encephalitis, said Dr. Robert Tesh, a professor of pathology at UTMB.

West Nile season is just beginning, Tesh said, so people should dump standing water, make sure screens in their homes are intact, use mosquito repellent and wear long sleeves and pants when outdoors, he said.

In addition, beware of snakes.

“During a flood, animals and people are looking for high ground,” said Dr. Tom Sidwa, state public health veterinarian and manager of of the zoonosis control branch at the Department of State Health Services. “Snakes can swim, and they’re going to be looking for a place to get out of the water, like invading a house or getting on the top of a car. ... Trying to avoid them is a smart move.”

Animals that normally might not be aggressive can become that way when they’ve been distressed by flooding, Sidwa said. “Stay away from them, too.”