They, however, said symptoms might show after a while.

“There are internal and external effects that the sewage water might have on the human body. Most might not show until six to 12 months after the floods,” said Dr. Adnan Al-Alfei, chairman of the Medical Committee in Jeddah.

“There are viruses that might enter the body system without one knowing, like from one’s eyes, mouths or even ears, and this could escalate to infecting one’s blood stream within time. The floodwater was a toxic mix comprising all sorts of germs and viruses that could affect the human body on both the long and short terms,” he added.

Heba Radwan, a consultant in infectious diseases at the International Medical Center in Jeddah, said fungi and other microbes are found in all water tanks and people should examine their tanks before using them.

“The microbes in water tanks could affect the human body in a very bad way. People could get skin infections and other internal diseases. I recommend people who were exposed to floodwaters to check with their doctors immediately,” she said.

“I also recommend people whose homes were flooded to throw away all their furniture and everything that has been in direct contact with the water for hygiene reasons,” she added.

“I also recommend people get their tetanus vaccines within the first few hours of coming into contact with the flood water. If the person was late and didn’t take the vaccine, he or she should immediately check with a doctor for other available treatments,” Rawdan said.

Pharmacists in the city are also not reporting unusual or serious health problems to those affected by the floods. “People who were exposed to the flood waters have been coming into the pharmacy asking for medication for coughs, flu and diarrhea,” said Saber Mostafa, a pharmacist on Jeddah’s Sari Street.

“I always recommend people who were exposed to filthy water to bathe in hot water and wash with soap. They should also wash their clothes and homes with bleach to ensure they are clean and avoid infections,” he added.

Alan Barton, manager of Al-Zawia decoration shop, said a quarter of his staff was sick due to sewage water mixing with the underground freshwater tank that supplies his shop with water.

“We only use the water tank for washing up. We don’t drink from it. However, my staff have all been suffering from amoebic dysentery and violent diarrhea, which has forced them to stay at home and not come to work,” he said.

“We hired a company to empty the water tank, clean it up and then fill it with clean water. My concern is that this might happen again because the street in front of the office is still flooded with filthy water. This might cause it to mix with the clean water in the tanks again,” he added.

One of Barton’s employees has also recently been taken into emergency care. “He has been suffering from violent diarrhea and been vomiting a great deal,” said Dr. Majid Basharah, an internist Rashad Clinic. “This left him dehydrated a great deal. He has also been suffering from serious stomach pains. We carried out some laboratory tests, but they haven’t shown much. We’ve now sent him to another hospital for further advanced tests,” he added.