The Danish Patient Safety Authority is warning citizens about potential health hazards resulting from flooded sewers due to extensive rainfall. The warning, issued in a press release on Tuesday, highlights the risks associated with contact with sewage water.

Recent heavy rainfall across Denmark has caused sewers to flood, leading to sewage water overflowing onto streets, roads, and into basements. The authority emphasizes the importance of avoiding contact with any water suspected of being contaminated with sewage.

Sewage water contains harmful bacteria, viruses, and microorganisms from human and rodent feces, posing a significant disease risk upon contact. According to Bente Møller, head of unit and chief physician at the Danish Patient Safety Authority, individuals should take precautions if contact with sewage water is unavoidable.

Protective measures include wearing long rubber boots and gloves, and ensuring no sewage water enters the eyes, mouth, or comes into contact with the skin.

Direct contact with contaminated water can lead to symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and fever, indicating a stomach infection. The sewage water may also carry other bacteria that pose a risk of more serious illnesses.

The authority expresses particular concern about a disease that begins with flu-like symptoms and can develop into a more serious condition in some individuals.

If there is doubt about whether water in a basement is contaminated with sewage, individuals should consider whether the water could have entered from a source other than the sewer. If not, it is likely sewage water.