Friday, 27 September 2024.
A few days ago the Government of the State of São Paulo, Brazil published a brief report entitled “Doenças de Transmissão Hídrica e Alimentar em Tempos de Estiagem, Calor e Queimadas” (in English, “Water and Food Transmitted Diseases in Times of Drought, Heat and Fires”).
As has been widely publicized, all of Brazil is currently experiencing severe drought and successive heat waves that translate into both wildfires and in low humidity and air pollution. Not only in the Amazon region and the Pantanal, but also in regions that are more developed in terms of infrastructure and fire-brigades, such as São Paulo State.
Ultimately, these are times that require additional health care and attention.
The main recommendation is to drink more water, to prevent dehydration.
Obviously the water must be drinkable, thus avoiding diseases that have a high potential for dissemination such as cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A and other acute diarrheal diseases.
Around 96% of the urban population in São Paulo's State municipalities is supplied with water from the public network and is regularly monitored. Outside the urban area, however, populations such as rural, peri-urban and those living in irregular occupations must pay extra attention.
When the water source involves alternative solutions, it is important to use 2.5% sodium hypochlorite to disinfect water intended for human consumption, even sourced directly from springs, generally underground, without forgetting to have a safe water storage system.
Attention should also be paid to pollutant particles derived from fires, which may be present in rainwater, which is increasingly reused by the population of São Paulo, and whose reservoirs must be covered and regularly cleaned.
Diseases transmitted by water and food can be caused by different etiological agents, be they bacteria, viruses, parasites or toxins, so the incubation period can vary from less than 1 hour to 4 weeks.
The study indicates the symptoms both in a simple and in-depth way, guiding not only people like us, but also healthcare professionals, in order to avoid uncontrolled outbreaks.
Click below to access the document jointly prepared and reviewed by Centro de Vigilância Sanitária, Centro de Vigilância Epidemiológica “Profº Alexandre Vranjac” and Coordenadoria de Controle de Doenças of the Government of the State of São Paulo.
Last but not least, you might be also interested in our post from 2023, about The 2023 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: the imperative for a health-centred response in a world facing irreversible harms.
