BANGKOK, 21 October 2013 (NNT) – The government has sent out health and medical units to flood-hit areas as around 150,000 people have fallen ill during this recent flooding.
According to Dr. Narong Sahametapat, Permanent Secretary for Public Health, more than 150,000 people have fallen ill or caught a disease during this time of flood crisis. Most of the infections found were skin diseases such as Athlete’s foot, while some people have caught cold or suffered from body aches. However, he said no severe cases were found.
As for mental health, Dr. Narong said the ministry has a plan to rehabilitate the flood victims, especially those families who lost their loved ones to the flood. He said the ministry had already checked the mental health conditions of around 17,000 people and found that 1,400 people were suffering from depression, adding that most of the depressed people have insomnia and anxiety disorder.
