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As floods in Chiang Saen, Chiang Khong and Wiang Kaen subsided, health officials continued handing out chlorine to disinfect wells, basic medicines and 1,000 handbooks. Medical teams discovered that 1,405 people had fallen ill from August 12 to 17, and that nearly half of them were down with rash and athlete's foot.

However, floods continued to make people in the Northeast miserable.

In Nakhon Phanom, the Mekong remained at a critical level of 12.6 metres, flooding homes and farms in 12 districts. The Rajaprajanugroh Foundation delivered 500 relief bags to victims in Sri Songkhram district.

In Mukdahan, 55 villages and 3,000 rai of farmland were inundated.

The Mekong River's level in Nong Khai had dropped, but the flood crest continued moving down river.

Public Health Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul and Permanent Secretary for Public Health Prat Boonyawongvirote visited a floodprone village in the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani to distribute medicines. About 300 homes were affected by flooding here last year.

Chaovarat ordered public health officials in lowlying areas to move their stock of medicines to higher ground and get sandbags ready for building emergency embankments. Mobile medical units have been instructed to stand ready around the clock.

He said the ministry has stockpiled 300,000 sets of assorted medicines as well as 100,000 sets of medication for athlete's foot. Mobile medical units have treated more than 6,000 patients in floodhit areas in Chiang Rai and Nong Khai over the past six days. Most suffered from athlete's foot or tinea pedis.

Meanwhile, the governor of Ubon Ratchthani has opened a centre to combat flooding after Phachan village in Phosai district was cut off from other areas due to flooding.