Theme day: Copenhagen rainstorm in July 2011
6 February 2012
Recently, a status meeting was held covering the inundations following the Copenhagen rainstorm which occurred on 2 July 2011.
The problem associated with large amounts of rain water is that it may overload the sewerage system which may, in turn, cause disease in the persons who come into contact with sewage.
A total of five persons were notified with leptospirosis and a questionnaire including 257 persons with occupational exposure to rainstorm water showed that 22% had fallen ill. The most frequently presenting symptoms were diarrhoea, colds and headaches. The questionnaire also demonstrated that disease was associated with smoking (hand to mouth contact) and lack of hand-washing.
Physicians should be aware that patients who have come into contact with inundated water may be at risk of contracting a number of diseases.
For more information, please see EPI-NEWS no. 5, 2012.