Brasília, February 4, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Teresina (PI), Aracaju (SE), and Petrolina (PE) are the first three rain-stricken municipalities to receive medicine kits from the Ministry of Health. Distribution begins today. The capital of Piauí will receive three kits, while Aracaju and Petrolina will each receive two. Each kit serves a group of three thousand residents. In all, 2.5 tons of medicines will be sent to 338 cities in 15 states. The number of flood victims across the country stands at 104,325.

In periods of flooding, there is an increase in cases of water-transmitted diseases, such as diseases caused by parasitic worms, lung and skin ailments, and leptospirosis. Each kit weights 70 kilograms and costs R$ 1,600. Each unit contains 23 types of medication - among analgesics, antibiotics, antithermics, and antiparasitics, as well as remedies for skin and respiratory infections. Because of the floods, oral rehydration salts, physiological and glucose serums, and sodium hypochlorite (used in water purification) were added to the kits.

Around R$ 56 thousand will be spent to reinforce the distribution of these medications. Distribution of the kits will be coordinated by municipal governments, with the support of the Armed Forces and state military and civil police.

The Ministry of Health will also ask the Secretariats of Health in the affected states for a detailed inventory of stocks of strategic medicines - used to combat diseases such as tuberculosis, leprosy, malaria, and diabetes. It is possible that health posts and hospitals have lost part or all of their stocks of these medications as a result of the flooding. If this is the case, they will be replaced as quickly as possible.

With respect to leptospirosis, transmitted by rat urine, the Ministry of Health will guarantee hospitalization for confirmed cases of the disease. Furthermore, the Secretariat of Health Inspection will expand the distribution of laboratory kits for the diagnosis of leptospirosis. (DAS)