President of the Jamaica Association of Public Health Inspectors (JAPHI) Michael Myles says teams are currently on the ground in communities islandwide, “seizing and condemning unwholesome foods to prevent items entering the food chain that will cause ill-health to the public”.

According to Myles, health inspectors are also conducting environmental conditions assessment on the impact of Hurricane Melissa and making recommendations as well as educating residents on health practices.

“We encourage residents to discard food items contaminated with flood waters and encourage you to use perishable items quickly before spoilage. Do not sell spoiled food items to the public,” said the JAPHI head in response to questions from the Jamaica Observer.

Myles also urged people to properly dispose of dead livestock.

“After Hurricane Melissa, many persons may have lost large quantities of animals, which include broilers [any chicken bred and raised specifically for meat production] or layers [hens raised for egg production]. The recommended method of disposal for these carcasses is burial, that is individuals may dig or excavate a hole and cover these birds with earth or under supervised disposal at the municipal dump sites after paying a fee,” Myles advised.

He said residents can also inform the health department, in which case public health inspectors will supervise the disposal of dead livestock at municipal dump sites to ensure that these carcasses are not harvested for human consumption by people at the dumps.

“We have to be careful at this time and be safe, ensuring that we protect the public’s health,” Myles told the Observer.

In the meantime, the JAPHI president has cautioned individuals against walking or swimming in flood waters.

“Flood waters may be, at this time, contaminated with hidden debris, hazardous chemicals and sewage because many farm lands, industrial areas and septic systems have been flooded, hence flood waters at this time are contaminated with harmful bacteria including E coli that can cause fatal illnesses, the leptospira bacteria responsible for leptospirosis or bacteria or viruses that can cause skin infections,” Myles warned.

He meanwhile encouraged residents to boil tap water or water from community tanks before drinking.

“At least boil for a minute or treat with bleach and leave to settle for 30 minutes before drinking to prevent gastroenteritis. Please take every precaution at this time,” added Myles.

Hurricane Melissa, which has so far been blamed for 19 deaths, made landfall in the south-western side of Jamaica as a historic Category 5 system on Tuesday, ripping apart buildings, roads and vegetation before making its way to Cuba.