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Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit today advised residents in the vicinity of Mt. Mayon to take proper precautions against ashfall from the volcano's recent eruption. The health chief said it is better to stay indoors to avoid irritating the eyes and lungs during heavy ashfall. The ash can cause transient hyperemia (or redness of the eyes) and conjunctivitis (infection of the eye covering). Once ash gets into the eyes, it should be washed off with plenty of clean water. Persons using hard contact lenses are more affected than persons with soft lenses. Dayrit also said that volcanic ash may also cause nasal stuffiness, throat irritation, cough with phlegm, and chest tightness. In very high concentrations, volcanic ash may cause severe injury to the windpipe, or cause swelling of the, lungs or blockage of lung channels that may lead to death. If one is outside during an ashfall, a dampened handkerchief or mask can minimize one's exposure to ash. Dayrit also advised the people to reinforce their roofs to prevent its collapse. They should clean off ash from their roofs using poles with scrapers or brush to keep ash from accumulating. According to the health chief, houses in tropical countries such as the Philippines are usually built to withstand only up to 15-20 Ibs, per square foot wind load. Five cm. of wet volcanic ash on one square foot of roof weighs about 18 Ibs. Ash accumulations may lead to structural collapse and injuries to residents. Meanwhile, the DOH reported that as of June 26, there are now 41,623 individuals or 8,471 families housed in various evacuation sites. The biggest evacuation center is the San Andres Resettlement Site with 1007 families living in the site. The common diseases seen at the evacuation camps were acute respiratory infection and diarrhea. The health chief recommended LGUs to immediately isolate cases of contagious diseases like measles and chicken pox. These cases should be referred to hospitals for treatment. It is also vital to ensure availability of potable drinking water, adequate water supplies, and sanitary toilets to prevent diarrhea and other water-borne diseases such as typhoid and hepatitis A. |
