Indonesia is bracing for a wave of flood-related diseases as monsoon downpours inundate low-lying areas of the country including the teeming capital, officials said.
The health ministry is anticipating outbreaks of diarrhoea, skin diseases and leptospirosis, a bacterial disease often caused by contact with the urine of infected animals such as rats.
"As the rainfalls are increasing we should be ready to anticipate the diseases caused by floods in order to minimise the death toll," health ministry crisis centre head Rustam Pakaya said.
He said local government clinics should already have adequate supplies of medicines for wet-season diseases. He met officials from provincial health agencies Monday to discuss better coordination between regions.
At least 14 people died and three others were missing after floods hit 13 Indonesian provinces last week. The weather bureau has predicted further heavy rain this month.
Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said that unlike neighbouring Malaysia which is warning of an upsurge in dengue fever cases, Indonesia faced no such problem.
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