No epidemic alert in Mumbai: Ramadoss

The Union Health Ministry on Monday further added that a team of experts was already in the metropolis to assess the situation.

The Union Health Ministry on Monday assured that there was no epidemic alert in Mumbai following the devastating rains and a team of experts was already in the metropolis to assess the situation.

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"There is no epidemic alert as of now," Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said.

"A team of experts from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases and the National Institute of Virology has been sent to Mumbai to study the situation," he said adding to make any clear assessment, water needed to recede first.

Stating that the Health Ministry was coordinating with the machinery in Maharashtra, he said state authorities had given a list of required material such as DDT powder, chloroquine tablets and bleaching powder which would reach there on Monday.

The best preventive strategy in such a situation was to consume only boiled water, he advised.

To a question, he said the disease leptospirosis which spreads through rat urine was not much of an issue in Mumbai. However, one should not go bare foot in water and wash feet after coming out of water.