Recent heavy rains caused flooding in areas of DuPage County and the Health Department is cautioning residents to try to avoid flood water because it may be contaminated.
Executive Director Karen Ayala says, “It’s important to protect yourself and your family because floodwater may look harmless, but could be a mixture of many things.”
The ground is saturated in many areas which can cause septic systems to fail, and waste water to mix with surface and ground water. In order to avoid such mishaps, residents may have to get in touch with their local expert who specializes in septic pumping services. Floodwaters can contain bacteria, fecal material, viruses, and other organisms that may cause disease.
If you will be cleaning, volunteering, or around floodwaters for any reason, take precautions to avoid injury and possible infections:
Wear protective clothing, gloves, long pants, long sleeves, and boots if you must be around floodwater to clean or volunteer.
If you have a cut or injury where the skin is broken and has been exposed to flood water, contact your health care provider about the need for a tetanus shot or other treatment. It might also be worth contacting a medical lawyer if there are any serious injuries. You could use sites like https://lawtx.com/ to help you determine if you have a claim. If you are seriously injured, seeking professional medical advice would be a very sensible option.
Be sure to apply insect repellent when outdoors to protect against mosquitoes and ticks. Perhaps some people could consider looking into the insect repellent from Quantum Health, for example. That should keep bugs away, so some people may want to find more info about that spray here. Of course, most other sprays should work too, just make sure they are from a reputable company. We actually recommend trying more natural products with no chemicals in them. You can click here to find out more.
See your doctor if you have a fever or rash after a tick bite.
For more information call (630) 682-7400.
