Abstract
BackgroundNatural disasters are typically associated with the emergence of infectious diseases. On 15 June 2010, severe storms caused flooding in the Var department (France). A rumour about increased risk of Staphylococcusaureus skin infections after bathing in the sea began to circulate on Internet a few days after the floods. The aim of this study was to compare the rumour with the true incidence of cases of infection. MethodsSince 1999, we have been conducting a prospective survey of S. aureus skin infections in our hospital to study their clinical, laboratory and epidemiologic features. We compared data on cases of Staphylococcus skin infection recorded in our institution from 2008 to 2012. ResultsWe found that there was no increase in S. aureus skin infections after the floods compared to the previous and subsequent years. ConclusionWe had a unique opportunity to check the rumoured increase in incidence of infectious disease with the true incidence. In our study, the fear of S. aureus skin infections following flooding proved to be unfounded.
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