Now flood-ravaged Valencia braces for disease explosion: Fears of Hep A and Tetanus outbreaks with stagnant water and mud a 'perfect habitat' for rats, cockroaches and mosquitoes

Hospitals in Valencia are preparing for a wave of infections and illnesses linked to the stagnant flood water and stinking mud thousands of volunteer workers are trying to clear away.

Experts are predicting mosquito-borne diseases and skin infections will rise as the clean-up continues and are also sounding warnings about gastroenteritis and Hepatitis A linked to the consumption of contaminated drinking water.

The stagnant water still posing a massive problem in many parts of Valencia province where more than 200 people are known to have lost their lives in last Tuesday's horror floods, has been described as the 'perfect habitat' for the rapid rise in the number of cockroaches and rats as well as mosquitoes.

Volunteers taking part in the ongoing clean-up are being advised to wear face masks and gloves.

Regional president Carlos Mazon, who was pelted with mud on Sunday during a visit to Paiporta near Valencia with Spain 's king and queen and PM Pedro Sanchez , is urging locals to get vaccinated for Tetanus to avoid problems with cuts and wounds.

Leptospirosis or Weil's disease, a blood infection you can get from animals, soil or water that can cause abdominal pain, fever and jaundice and can be fatal if left untreated, has also been flagged up as a concern.

Public health specialist Pedro Gullon: 'A flood of these characteristics brings public health problems we need to be aware of, linked mainly to the accumulation of water and sewage.

'In the first days and weeks the main problems that can occur are gastrointestinal which can be caused by contaminated water.'

Saying water analysis was now an important part of the fix and urging anyone with symptoms to seek urgent medical attention to 'stop the transmission chain', he added: 'In the floodwater there are bodies that have yet to be recovered.

'The bodies do not pose the greatest danger to public health at the moment but it's important they're removed as soon as possible to be able to continue with the cleaning of the streets.

'After that first phase it's likely that other problems for public health can appear in the stagnant water like mosquitoes and so on which can transmit diseases.'

Epidemiologist Jose Maria Martin-Moreno said: 'Stagnant water is the perfect habitat for the proliferation of mosquitoes and cockroaches, as well as rodents and organisms which can cause human beings infections.'

Describing the risk of sewage contaminating the water supply as another potential danger, he said: 'The risks tend to worsen in the first 24 to 72 hours after the flood, although this varies with factors like temperature, the restoration of basic services and the cleaning measures adopted.'

Nearly a week has passed since tsunami-like floods swept through the southern outskirts of Valencia city, covering many communities with sticky thick mud.

The clean-up task ahead remains gargantuan, and the hunt for bodies continues.