Fears of epidemic after mudslide in China

BEIJING - Corpses buried under the debris in mudslide-hit Zhouqu county in China have raised fears of a disease epidemic, officials said as the toll in the disaster reached 1,144 with 600 people still missing.

Over 45,000 people have been affected in the mudslides that occurred at midnight Aug 8 in Zhouqu county in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Zhouqu covers 3,010 square km and has a population of 134,700, about 33 percent of which are Tibetans.

The ministry of health said spread of disease is a major concern, as local health facilities and water resources were damaged in the disaster, the Global Times reported Friday.

“Only a small part of the township was left after the mudslides. A large number of rescue and relief workers and survivors are now living there, increasing the risk of intestinal and respiratory infectious diseases,” a ministry official said.

Corpses of people and animals buried under the mud may easily decay under high temperatures, worsening the epidemic situation, he said.

Although wells have been dug to ensure water supply, the water has to be sterilised. The ministry of environmental protection has said water quality of the Bailong river is normal.

There was also a problem of refrigeration for vaccines, as many storage facilities were destroyed in the mudslides, the ministry said.

However, new refrigerators and vaccines have arrived and a new vaccination centre in the county has been set up.