Written By: Pavitra Sampath | Updated : February 23, 2015 9:18 PM IST
For the past 10 days, Uttarakhand has been fraught with danger. With large numbers of people stranded and thousands dead, the state is fearing an epidemic due to all the dead human and animal bodies lying everywhere. The rescue teams are busy with the living, there is no attention being paid to the dead. In this post, we shall discuss the possibility of epidemics spreading in such a situation and what precautions people handling the bodies should take.
Can dead bodies cause diseases?
While most people believe that dead bodies can cause a number of diseases this is not exactly true. While dead bodies do not spread diseases per se, the possibility of disease is possible only when the products of the decaying bodies leak intestinal contents and other bodily fluids into water sources like rivers. This can lead to diseases like gastroenteritis, cholera, typhoid, jaundice etc.
Another condition that has been known to occur in such situations is epidemic typhus. Caused by the larvae of fleas that are found on dead bodies, the disease is transmitted by this flea biting other people. The flea, carries the causative organism -- Rickettsia prowazekii which enters a person's body when they scratch the site of the bite. Symptoms of this disease include severe headaches, high fever, cough, rashes all over the body, muscle pain and cramping, chills and a sudden fall in blood pressure. In severe cases the patient will experience sensitivity to light, and delirium.
What are the dangers to people handling dead bodies?
While most casualties during a natural disaster happen because people either drown or are buried alive, they usually do not die of any contagious disease. That being said, the medical status of the dead are largely unknown. Therefore, people handling dead bodies are susceptible to contracting infections such as Hepatitis B and C , HIV, tuberculosis etc. This is mainly because the causative agents are usually virulent in dead bodies. These diseases are usually transmitted because of improper precautions taken while handling the dead.
Although there are universal precautions (a set of rules to handle hazardous biomedical waste) in place, under such circumstances most don't have the required tools or training to follow them.
Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of cholera.
Precautions rescuers should take:
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