First f loods, now disease looms

KWAZULU-NATAL teeters on the brink of another disaster.

So say health experts who have warned that the after-effect of the recent floods could provide a breeding ground for waterborne diseases like cholera, and hasten the further spread of Covid19.

On Tuesday, Joe Phaahla, the Minister of Health; his deputy, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo and Nomagugu Simelane, the provincial MEC for Health, toured various health facilities in the eThekwini Municipality to determine the extent of the damage.

The department said 84 facilities in the province were affected by the floods, while some were inaccessible by road and others had no running water.

“When things are like this, from infection control it’s quite a risk,” said Phaahla.

The South African Medical Association (Sama) also warned that water to health facilities should be prioritised.

Zanele Bikitsha, Sama’s KZN coastal chairperson, said there was a serious risk of waterborne, diarrhoeal diseases in the community.

She said this would have a serious impact on morbidity rates.

“The major concern is the impact on health facilities as you cannot operate, deliver babies, clean wounds, sanitise equipment or run certain machinery like dental chairs without water. Mortuaries are also affected as they need water to sanitise corpses and post mortems are delayed,” she said.

Simelane said all their mobile units would be taken to centres where communities were staying.

They would also provide chronic medication to patients who had lost their supply in the floods.

Simelane said elective surgeries had been put on hold, while Wentworth and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial hospitals - whose water supplies were cut off in the floods - would be provided with tankers.

Msawakhe Mayisela, the spokesperson for the eThekwini Municipality, said the city’s health unit was also attending to residents who have been left homeless.

“City nurses are doing health screenings for various illnesses and distributing chronic medication. The aim is ensuring the wellbeing of residents while they are destitute,” he said.

Professor Saloshni Naidoo, the head of public health medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said the shortterm health implications following the floods included the possibility of waterborne diseases.

She said there could also be psychosocial trauma as many people had lost their belongings and had no idea when they would have a home again.

Naidoo said packed community halls that served as shelters also increased the risk of spreading Covid-19.

She said informal settlements carried an even higher risk of disease because of the increased pressure on their already limited infrastructure.

“It doesn’t take long for outbreaks to happen. In the next few weeks, we could see this happen if we do not get a continuous water supply to people immediately.”

Naidoo urged people to only eat cooked food, to boil their water if they were unsure of its source, and wash their hands often.

“The concern is that where the facilities are not accessible, how do people access health care and get the help that they need?”

She said children with signs of diseases like cholera, which caused vomiting and diarrhoea, should be taken to primary health care clinics immediately for treatment.

Naidoo said the uncertainty that came with the destruction could have long term effects that could result in chronic diseases like hypertension.

“It does not only have an impact on you if you were directly affected by the floods but also if it’s someone close to you.

“Different people respond differently to situations,” said Naidoo.

She said the sense of community provided by non-governmental organisations and community forums was invaluable for those dealing with psychosocial stress, while the way communities rallied together in times of disaster was also good.

However, she cautioned that disasters often led to unwanted risks like gender-based violence.

In addition, children were likely to suffer a double blow, firstly from being displaced and then losing out on formal education because schools were destroyed in the floods.

Meanwhile, the South African National Defence Force this week announced that the Military Health Services would provide operational health support in the province.

This would include medical support, including ambulances to the Defence Force which was roped in to help with disaster relief efforts.

The South African Military Health Services would also send doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers and pharmacists where required.

Repairs to ensure that water was restored throughout the municipality are currently underway.

In the north, work on the Virginia elevated tower which affected Glen Anil, Umhlanga Rocks Drive and Virginia were ongoing. Repairs were also ongoing at the Trenance 1 and Phoenix 4 reservoirs.

In the inner west 80 percent of repairs were completed.

In the south the sites to restore water to Craigieburn, Umbumbulu, Folweni and surrounding areas were still inaccessible.

In eThekwini central, the areas of Lamontville, Bluff, Mobeni, Merebank and Overport were affected by infrastructure repairs or the replacement of a pipe that was damaged.