Keeping diseases out

With 10,000 or so epidemic control professionals dispatched to the quake-hit areas, covering all residential communities, as officials with the Ministry of Health claimed at a press conference yesterday, initial worries about risks of a public health hazard in the wake of the disaster may appear to be somewhat exaggerated.

Strict round-the-clock monitoring and comparative studies of pre- and post-quake conditions has found no substantial change in the state of epidemic diseases in the disaster zone, according to the ministry.

It is a great consolation to see epidemic control workers clad in protective gears combing the ruins and temporary settlements at very short intervals, spreading disinfectants and pesticides. Their tireless toils have indeed held out a protective umbrella over the areas.