The Centers for Disease Control (hereafter referred to as CDC) announced today (the 10th) that Typhoon Bavi continues to approach and is expected to bring severe strong winds and heavy rain across Taiwan. Because strong winds and rain can expose and spread pathogens in soil and mud, and post‑rain standing water can breed disease‑carrying mosquitoes, there is a risk of increased infectious diseases such as anthrax‑like disease, leptospirosis, tetanus, and dengue fever; additionally, poor food hygiene can easily lead to gastrointestinal infections. The CDC urges the public, while confronting the typhoon, to stay vigilant, prepare preventive measures in advance, and during the storm and after the rain implement the three‑step epidemic‑prevention measures of “complete equipment, eliminate breeding sources, and pay attention to diet” to ensure the health of themselves and their families.
1. Ensure complete equipment: When tidying the environment, be sure to take personal protective measures to avoid infection with anthrax‑like disease, leptospirosis, and tetanus.
Because the strong winds and rain during the typhoon can expose pathogens such as anthrax‑like bacteria in the soil, they can be inhaled with dust or water droplets, chronic patients (e.g., those with diabetes, lung disease, liver disease, kidney disease, cancer, or immunocompromised conditions) should stay indoors with doors and windows closed as much as possible during the typhoon; if they must clean indoor or outdoor areas, wearing a mask is recommended. In addition, after the typhoon, when dealing with standing water, sludge, or disaster waste, please wear rain boots or waterproof boots, waterproof gloves, and a mask; do not go barefoot or wear sandals, to avoid skin wounds contacting pathogens or being punctured by rusty nails or metal pieces, which could cause infection.
2. Eliminate breeding sources: Implement environmental tidying before and after the wind disaster, store idle containers early and conduct comprehensive inspections after rain to prevent dengue fever.
Before the typhoon arrives, residents can bring temporarily unused outdoor flower pots, water buckets, discarded containers, etc., indoors or turn them upside down, reducing the number of containers that could collect water after the storm and also preventing objects from being blown by strong winds and injuring pedestrians. The week following a wind disaster is a critical period for dengue control; after the rain stops, residents should proactively inspect their home environment, clean standing water and related items, carefully check indoor and outdoor plant pot trays, discarded tires, and other residual water‑holding containers, pour out the water and thoroughly scrub to remove mosquito eggs; large discarded containers can be reported to the cleaning crew for removal. If residents develop fever, headache, retro‑orbital pain, muscle or joint pain, or rash—possible dengue symptoms—please seek medical care promptly and inform the physician of recent activities to aid early diagnosis.
3. Pay attention to diet: Do not drink or eat water and food that have become contaminated or spoiled; implement thorough household cleaning and disinfection to prevent gastrointestinal infections.
If a water storage tank becomes contaminated with sewage during the typhoon, it should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before refilling, and the water should be boiled completely before drinking; do not consume food that has been soaked in water or thawed for too long. For the home environment, use commercially available chlorine bleach diluted 100‑fold for wiping; kitchen utensils and tableware should be boiled for disinfection, or disinfected with a solution of 40 ml bleach per 10 L of water, then rinsed with clean water before use. Pay attention to hand hygiene; follow the five steps of “wet, rub, rinse, dry, wipe” to wash hands correctly and comprehensively prevent intestinal infections.
The CDC will continue to work closely with the health bureaus of each county and city government to monitor post‑disaster infectious disease situations, remind the public to seek medical care promptly if any symptoms arise and to disclose relevant exposure or activity history, and also call on medical institutions to stay vigilant and report infectious diseases in a timely manner so that health authorities can take early preventive measures. If you have questions related to infectious diseases, you may consult the CDC’s global website ( https://www.cdc.gov.tw ) or call the toll‑free epidemic‑prevention hotline 1922 (or 0800‑001922).
Source: Centers for Disease Control
Compiled by: Infection Control Office
