“Health risks for the inhabitants” – breaking latest news

«The water rises from the sewers and you can’t breathe in the house. After days in these conditions and with nothing to eat we left. Now we are hosted by relatives ». The home of Victoria DiMatthew, where she lives with her husband and three children, is in Via Aldo Moro, one of the streets transformed into malodorous rivers. For a family that decides to leave, there are hundreds who resist, prisoners in the house, waiting for the boat to pass by which distributes the white envelopes containing water and something to eat.

The latest news on the floods in Emilia-Romagna

For five days this has been the daily life of councilten thousand inhabitants, become the epicenter of a new emergency which is added to that of mud and landslides. In this case it is about health risks to the population
related to thatrotten water which could turn into a risk of infection
for residents and their caregivers. After walking for a long time in the water, the overalls and boots of the men of the police forces are sprayed with disinfectants. While the mayor Paola Puca, launches desperate appeals to his fellow citizens. «Don’t walk barefooti in the water — he shouts into the megaphone in front of the town hall — protect your skin from contact with water with gloves and personal protective equipment. Don’t let children play in flooded areas. As a demonstration of the seriousness of the situation yesterday in Conselice both the director of the Ausl of Ravenna be there regional vice president, with responsibility for Civil Protection, Irene Priolo. Even the top health officials confirm potential dangers
for skin or gastrointestinal infections. And they are also considering some prophylactic vaccinations.

Measures confirming the potential risks for the stagnation of water launched from Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (Yes but). «After a flood – warns the president Alessandro Miani – the risk of infections increases, especially for elderly and children. fromhepatitis A at bacterial infections caused by escherichia coli o salmonella». Stagnant water then attracts mosquitoes which «increase the risk of transmission of other diseases».

The mayor of Conselice predicts that it will take ten days for the water to drain completely. Too many to avoid potential health risks. For this reason the Municipality, which has already given the order to evacuate the flooded houses, also hypothesizes the transfer «in bungalow o in un camping».

«The situation is objectively complex – admits councilor Priolo -. It is due to the morphology of the country: a sort of natural bowl where the water struggles to leave, we are talking about millions of cubic meters. To make it flow, it must be introduced into the channel Right Rhinebut you have to do it carefully otherwise you risk flood another portion of the territory». And it is precisely this that fuels the tension between the citizens who have been protesting in front of the Municipality for days. «To avoid stagnation – explains Priolo – with dewatering pumps we are trying to “go around” the water. We certainly cannot afford the risk of disease as well ». To support the mayor, who is facing a tense and complicated situation, there is a mobile column of Civil protection of Tuscany.

Meanwhile, the death toll rises to 15 of the flood. In the Lugo countryside, the carabinieri divers recovered another body. It would be a 68-year-old farmer from Fusignano reported missing on May 17. While the Prosecutor of Ravenna has opened a fileagainst unknown persons, assuming the crime of culpable disaster. All while on part of the region thered and orange alert.