Just like the water-borne diseases, vector-borne diseases can also become a heavy burden to the individual and family as well as for the country to manage the health crisis after the floods. Floods may indirectly lead to an increase in vector-borne diseases through the expansion in the number and range of vector habitats.
Standing water caused by heavy rainfall or overflow of rivers can act as breeding sites for mosquitoes, and therefore enhance the potential for exposure of the disaster-affected population and emergency workers to infections such as dengue and Chikungunya.
Dr. Zubaidah Ya’cob, Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre (TIDREC) Universiti Malaya
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