Infections, allergies reported at flood relief camps in Delhi

Health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the government is taking all precautions to ensure that vector-borne diseases are not spread in these camps

Delhi health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Monday said that cases of conjunctivitis, skin allergies and fever are the most reported medical conditions in government flood relief camps. He added that the Delhi government is taking all precautions to ensure that vector-borne diseases are not spread in these camps.

Many low-lying areas around the river were inundated and several families living in slum clusters along the Yamuna had to be shifted to relief camps after water entered their houses. (Vipin Kumar/HT)

“Currently no cases of vector-borne diseases have been seen in the camps,” Bharadwaj said on Monday after visiting the flood relief camps in east Delhi.

“Patients in the relief camps having symptoms of any disease will be admitted and monitored in the disaster management wards of hospitals,” he said, adding that it will also be known whether any new epidemic is spreading in the relief camps.

Last week, water levels in the Yamuna started rising and hit a record-high of 208.66mm last Thursday. Many low-lying areas around the river were inundated and several families living in slum clusters along the Yamuna had to be shifted to relief camps after water entered their houses. Parts of east and northeast Delhi were the worst affected by the flooding.