Thursday, December 30 2004 15:11 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Port Blair: After Sunday's Tsunami the fear of epidemic loomed large in Andaman and Nicobar islands with the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) warning the people of various communicable diseases and said that preventive measures were the only option available.

Outbreak of communicable diseases were likely to spread among the people affected by recent disaster, a senior RMRC official said.

Among the probable epidemic-prone diseases the water-borne ones were the immediate cause of worry, Prof S C Saigal, Director RMRC of the Indian Council of Medical Research said in Port Blair.

He said that Leptospirosis is a disease that can cause widespread epidemic among the people stranded in flooded areas or exposed to wet conditions for a prolonged period.

Leptospirosis is a disease transmitted from carrier animals to humans through direct contact or indirectly through contact with environment contaminated with animal urine containing the 'bactriz' - Leptospires.

Such epidemic of Leptospirosis had erupted after the super-cyclone in Orissa, he said.

Prof Saigal said there was a need to create awareness about the possibility of outbreak of Leptospirosis in the post-disaster period.