DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian health authorities on Thursday issued an alert over possible outbreak of epidemics, including dengue, cholera and dysentery, in the wake of torrential rains pounding many parts of the nation.

Abel Makubi, the chief medical officer in the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, said the rains that have damaged water infrastructure were likely to cause the outbreak of the epidemics.

"People should continue observing health guidelines like drinking boiled water and washing hands with soap using flowing water," Makubi told a news conference in the capital Dodoma.

Makubi also urged people to make use of clean toilets and ensure that their housing environment remain clean to avoid breeding of mosquitoes that cause malaria and dengue.

The ongoing heavy rains in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam have killed 12 people, destroyed about 800 houses and swept away a main pipe supplying water to some parts of the city's central business district. Enditem

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