major flooding events have an enormous impact on local communities in particular
this impact may be further compounded by a range of illnesses that result from living in flooded / inundated areas or walking in flood waters, drinking flood contaminated water, use of generators for emergency power, mould exposures, etc
Ross River virus (RRV) - epidemic polyarthritis, occurs in all states of Australia and is the most common mosquito transmitted disease with over 6,500 cases per year with occasional local epidemics with much higher numbers.
Barmah Forest virus (BFV) - epidemic polyarthritis; found near Echuca on the Murray River as well as other States, but prevalence is 1/10th that of Ross River infections.
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) was detected for the 1st time in Australia in Feb 2022 in Echuca, southern and western NSW and in Qld
Murray Valley encephalitis virus - north-western Victoria and other states, particularly after floods (eg. La Nina years such as 1951, 1974, 2011) as host is water birds. High subclinical rate with only 1 in 500 becoming ill.
after a flood, to prevent mould growth, clean up and dry out the house as quickly as possible (within 48 hours)
ASSUME a house has mould after a flood if either:
it has been flooded for more than 2 days
mould is visible
there is water damage
there are strong, musty odours
At risk people should AVOID being in mouldy homes or during clean ups of mouldy homes:
children under 12 yrs (esp. infants)
pregnant women
adults > 65yrs
persons with asthma, COPD or other lung conditions
immunocompromised
cleaning up mould requires appropriate PPE including a P1 or P2 face mask
mould may grow indoors in wet or moist areas that lack adequate ventilation, including walls or wallpaper, ceilings, bathroom tiles, carpets (especially those with jute backing), insulation material and wood.
snakebite and envenomation - snakes are much more likely to contact humans as they are displaced from their usual food grounds and they do swim in flood waters!
spider bites
ticks in Australia love the increased humidity after flooding and their numbers increase substantially - mainly an issue on the east coast