A typical scenario: Aunt Daeng's feet that would not heal

This is an example case drawn from situations common in flooded areas. It does not describe a real person.

Aunt Daeng is sixty and sells vegetables at a small market in Watthana Nakhon district. In late September 2026 water rose into the lane in front of her house and stayed for days. Every morning she waded out in shin-deep water wearing the same pair of sandals, and every evening she rinsed her feet with water from the storage jar and went straight to bed, exhausted. Within days the skin between her toes had turned white and soft, itched so badly it woke her at night, and smelled stale.

Her grandson bought a cream from the village shop. It helped a little but did not clear the problem. Two weeks later her husband, who has diabetes and hardly waded at all because he walks with difficulty, started itching between his toes too. What the two of them shared was a small bathroom at the back of the house, a single foot mat and a heap of sandals by the door.

Her story shows something people often miss: flood foot does not end with the person who waded. Once weakened skin is infected with fungi, the infection sheds onto the floors everyone walks on and waits for the next pair of feet.

The 2026 Sa Kaeo floods: 9 districts, 210 villages and more rain

According to Thai PBS on 30 September 2026, flooding affected nine districts of Sa Kaeo: Mueang Sa Kaeo, Watthana Nakhon, Aranyaprathet, Khok Sung, Khlong Hat, Wang Nam Yen, Khao Chakan, Ta Phraya and Wang Sombun, covering 32 subdistricts, 210 villages and 15,086 households, with water levels still rising that day. Krungthep Turakij later reported 151 mm of rain measured in Sa Kaeo on 4 October 2026, which meant many areas faced standing water for longer, or fresh water before homes had properly dried.

This kind of flooding lingers. People wade repeatedly over many days, in villages, in fields and on the way to work. Shoes never dry and socks stay damp. These are ideal conditions for flood foot and for the fungal infections that follow.

Beyond homes, shared buildings such as temple halls, school buildings and community halls used as temporary shelters need attention too, because many people share bathrooms and washing areas and often walk barefoot on floors that are always wet.

Flood foot versus dermatophyte infection: what is the difference?

"Flood foot" covers several conditions that tend to follow one another. Understanding the sequence helps you respond correctly.

Stage one: soggy, irritated skin. When feet soak for hours, the outer skin absorbs water, swells, wrinkles and turns white, especially between the toes where it is most enclosed. Floodwater also carries dirt, mud and other substances that irritate the skin, causing stinging, itching, redness and peeling. This stage is not always an infection, but soggy, cracked skin opens the door to germs.

Stage two: fungal infection. If the skin stays wet, dermatophytes that may already be on the skin, in shoes or on shared floors grow easily, producing athlete's foot (tinea pedis).

Another route: bacterial infection. Cracks and scratch wounds can become infected with bacteria, leading to inflammation of the skin and the tissue beneath it, a condition that needs a doctor.

Dermatophytes are fungi that use keratin, the protein in the outer skin, nails and hair, as food. The main genera are Trichophyton, Epidermophyton and Microsporum. Common causes of athlete's foot include Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton interdigitale and Epidermophyton floccosum. The same group causes ringworm on the body, jock itch in the groin and fungal nail infection. Yeasts such as Candida can also make the skin between the toes red and soggy in damp conditions.

How skin fungi spread through a household after a flood

Dermatophytes pass from person to person, from objects and surfaces, and in some cases from animals or soil. The key mechanism is skin flakes. When infected skin peels or is scratched, tiny flakes carrying fungi fall onto floors, mats, foot towels, socks and shoes. Fungi in these flakes can survive in the environment for weeks to months. When the next person walks barefoot over them, especially with wet or already softened skin, the fungi take hold easily.

After a flood several things make this easier than usual:

• The whole house is damp, and wooden and concrete floors dry slowly.
• Shoes and socks get soaked every day and are often piled together or swapped.
• There are not enough mats and towels, so the household shares them.
• Shared bathrooms in shelters and temple halls are used by many people and stay wet all day.
• Clean water is limited, so feet are not washed or dried properly.
• People are exhausted and eat and sleep irregularly, which weakens their defences.

Where dermatophytes hide in homes and shared buildings

• Bathroom and shower floors, especially grout lines, corners and around drains.
• Foot mats and foot towels that stay wet all day and never see sunlight.
• Shoe racks and doorways where soaked shoes are left together.
• Wooden floors of raised houses, where gaps between boards trap skin flakes and moisture.
• Floor mats, mattresses and sleeping mats in halls and shelters where people sleep side by side.
• Shared washrooms in temples, schools and community halls used as shelters.
• Changing areas and staff rooms in rice mills, shops and small factories where workers swap boots in one spot.

These places share three features: damp, barefoot and shared. That is the formula for repeated fungal infection. However well a sick person is treated, if these areas still carry fungi, the problem can return or spread.

Signs of flood foot and athlete's foot, and red flags that need a doctor

Common signs

• White, soft, soggy skin between the toes, often between the fourth and little toe.
• Intense itching or stinging, especially at night or after taking shoes off.
• Peeling, flaking or cracked skin, and a stale smell.
• Small blisters on the sole or side of the foot in some people.
• In others, dry, thickened, scaling soles in a "moccasin" pattern.
• Over time, toenails may thicken, turn cloudy yellow and become brittle.

See a doctor promptly if

• The foot or leg becomes swollen, red, hot and painful, especially if the redness keeps spreading.
• There is pus, an open wound that will not heal, or a strong foul smell.
• There is fever or shivering along with the foot problem.
• Anyone with diabetes, older age or circulation problems has a wound or inflammation on the foot, however small.
• After wading, you develop a high fever, headache and muscle pain, especially in the calves. This can be a sign of leptospirosis, so tell the doctor about the flood exposure.
• Symptoms do not improve after self-care and the treatment a pharmacist recommended.

An important caution: do not use steroid-only creams on your own without knowing whether the problem is fungal. Steroids can make the itch seem better for a while but let the fungus spread and make diagnosis harder. Ask a pharmacist or doctor to choose a suitable treatment and use it for the full course they advise, even after the itch settles.

Who is most at risk of skin fungus after a flood?

• People with diabetes: reduced feeling in the feet, slow healing and a risk that foot infections become serious, so feet should be checked daily.
• Older adults: thin skin, difficulty bending to care for their feet, and often several health conditions.
• People with poor circulation in the legs, whose infections heal slowly.
• People who wade for work: farmers, market vendors, volunteers, rescue workers and staff in waterlogged workplaces.
• People with weak immunity, such as those on immunosuppressive drugs or chemotherapy.
• Children who play in floodwater and go barefoot.
• Shelter residents who share bathrooms and sleeping areas.

The impact goes beyond itching

Health. Itching ruins sleep, and scratching cracks the skin and lets bacteria in. For people with diabetes, a small foot wound can turn into a long treatment.

Income. Farmers and vendors who cannot walk or wear shoes because of sore feet lose work just when they need money for repairs. Medicine and repeated trips to hospital add to the bill.

Time. Skin fungus often needs weeks of treatment, and nail infections can take months. If it returns because the house still harbours fungi, the clock starts again.

Family and community. Household members infect one another through bathrooms and shoes. In shelters, skin problems are common and worry residents and volunteers alike.

Business. Homestays, resorts and small hotels preparing to welcome guests again need confidence that bathrooms and room floors have been properly cleaned and disinfected, or complaints about musty smells and hygiene will hit bookings.

Why it keeps coming back: common fixes that fall short

Treating the person but not the place. Feet heal, then walk back over the same mat and into the same shoes, and the fungus returns.

Washing the bathroom with only water or detergent. That removes dirt but is not designed to kill fungi, and a permanently wet floor lets them keep growing.

Applying disinfectant over mud. Organic dirt sharply reduces how well disinfectants work. Always clean first.

Powder and air freshener. The smell goes for a while, but its source, fungi and bacteria living in the damp, remains.

Stopping treatment too early. Once the itch fades people stop, the fungi are not cleared, and the infection is back within weeks.

Painting or carpeting over damp floors, which hides the problem and lets fungi grow in the dark.

Post-flood fungal disinfection: how WHD's spraying service reduces germs on shared floors

Once the people affected are being cared for by a doctor or pharmacist, the next step is to stop the house acting as a reservoir for reinfection. The disinfection spraying service from World Health Disinfection (WHD) is carried out by trained technicians. According to the service information, they spray and/or fog with ULV (Ultra Low Volume) equipment, so the disinfectant reaches grout lines, corners, gaps in wooden floors and spaces under furniture that are hard to scrub by hand.

The disinfectant is CHEMGENE HLD4H, a medical-grade disinfectant from the UK containing Benzalkonium Chloride and Didecyldimethylammonium Chloride. According to the product and service information it is broad-spectrum, covering viruses, bacteria and fungi/mould. Organisms named on the pages include SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), Human Coronavirus 229E, RSV, influenza H1N1 and H5N1, HIV, norovirus, hand-foot-and-mouth virus, vaccinia virus, mycobacteria, Salmonella, Bordetella pertussis, bacteria in general and fungi. The service page states 99.99% effectiveness and the product page 99.85% against COVID-19 within one minute, and the pages refer to the Thai Department of Medical Sciences, Mahidol University, NHS England and EN 14476:2013+A2:2019.

Being straight about dermatophytes. The pages mention fungi in general but do not name dermatophytes such as Trichophyton or Epidermophyton. We therefore do not claim a tested kill result for them. What we can say is that they belong to the fungal group the product says it covers, and that WHO and CDC advise cleaning first and then disinfecting surfaces contaminated by floods. If you need test data for a specific organism, ask the WHD team before booking.

Just as important: spraying treats building surfaces, not skin. People with symptoms still need treatment from a doctor or pharmacist, and surface disinfectants should never be sprayed or rubbed onto the skin.

Step by step: post-flood spraying for a home with foot fungus

1. Book and tell the team which areas flooded, which are bathrooms or shared spaces, and whether anyone has skin problems.
2. Remove mud and scrub first. Clean grout lines and bathroom floors, and wash or discard rotten foot mats. Spraying comes after cleaning.
3. Dry out. Open doors and windows and use fans to get floors as dry as possible.
4. Prepare. Put away food, dishes, personal items and clean clothes; cover or move electrical items as advised.
5. Everyone leaves the sprayed zone, including older relatives, children and pets, while technicians work.
6. Technicians spray or ULV-fog, focusing on bathroom and shower floors, shoe racks, doorways, wooden floors and sleeping areas.
7. Wait for the re-entry time the technicians give, typically about 30 minutes according to the service information, then use the space normally.
8. Keep it up. Personal foot towels, shoes dried in the sun, and the free CHEMGENE spray used on touch points as its label directs.

According to the service information, customers receive a free CHEMGENE spray bottle and WELLGIENIC wet wipes, and a tax invoice is available. For rooms that stay musty, WHD's residential ozone disinfection can be added as a complementary service, done in an empty room and ventilated before anyone returns.

10 reasons Sa Kaeo homes and buildings should disinfect after the flood

1. Break the reinfection loop. Treating people is not enough while floors and mats still carry infected skin flakes.
2. Reach board gaps and grout. ULV mist gets where brushes do not.
3. A medical-grade product used by WHD's spraying service, described as covering fungi, bacteria and viruses according to the product information.
4. Several problems in one visit. Floods leave sewage bacteria and household mould as well as foot fungus.
5. Protects vulnerable relatives with diabetes or older age who walk barefoot at home every day.
6. Suits shared buildings: temple halls, schools and community halls used as shelters.
7. Trained technicians work from clean zones to risk zones to limit re-contamination.
8. Short wait, about 30 minutes according to the service information.
9. Free follow-up supplies: CHEMGENE spray and WELLGIENIC wipes, as stated on the service page.
10. Tax invoice available for homestays, shops, rice mills and local agencies.

Before and after: Aunt Daeng's house

Example case: a temple hall used as a shelter in Khlong Hat

This is an illustrative example of an approach, not a real customer review.

During the floods a temple hall in Khlong Hat district opened to villagers whose homes were underwater. Dozens slept on mats side by side and shared six washrooms whose floors were wet all day. In the second week volunteers noticed more complaints of itchy feet and groin, and a mobile medical team examined people and gave treatment.

When the water fell and families went home, the temple committee wanted the hall ready for a merit-making ceremony the following month. First the damp mats and mattresses were washed or thrown away, the hall and washrooms were scrubbed, grout was cleaned and the building aired. Then a spraying team treated every washroom, the walkway to the hall and the hall floor, with everyone outside during spraying and returning at the time the technicians gave.

The committee ended up with a shared space cleaned and disinfected in the right order, and simple rules for afterwards: washable foot mats changed daily, and signs reminding people to wash and dry their feet.

Checklist to prevent flood foot and skin fungus, before and after spraying

Daily foot care

• Avoid long wading; if you must, wear rubber boots and keep water out of them.
• Wash feet with soap and clean water straight after wading.
• Dry feet completely, especially between the toes, with your own towel.
• Change socks daily or whenever wet.
• Alternate two pairs of shoes so each can dry, in the sun if possible.
• Never share shoes, socks or foot towels.
• If you have diabetes, check your feet every day and see a doctor about any wound or redness.

Before spraying

• Remove mud and scrub bathroom floors, grout and living areas.
• Wash or discard mats and fabrics that are rotten or mouldy.
• Put away food, personal items and clean clothes.

After spraying

• Re-enter at the time the technicians give and ventilate.
• Keep bathroom floors as dry as possible.
• Wear sandals in shared washrooms.
• Continue any treatment as your doctor or pharmacist advised.

FAQ: dermatophytes and post-flood disinfection

Is flood foot always a fungal infection?
No. Early on it is usually irritation from soaking, but if the skin stays wet it can become a fungal or bacterial infection. Let a doctor or pharmacist assess it.

Is foot fungus really contagious?
Yes. Dermatophytes spread through skin flakes on shared bathroom floors, mats, shoes and socks.

Does CHEMGENE kill Trichophyton?
WHD's pages say the product covers fungi in general but do not name Trichophyton or any specific skin fungus. Ask WHD for organism-specific test data if you need it.

After spraying, can I skip the cream?
No. Spraying treats surfaces, not skin. Anyone with symptoms needs treatment from a doctor or pharmacist.

Do we need to leave during spraying?
Yes. Leave the sprayed zone and return at the time the technicians give, typically about 30 minutes.

Will there be no residue?
We do not make that claim. Follow the technicians' advice on re-entry and wipe food-contact surfaces before use.

Restore your Sa Kaeo home, hall or shop after the flood and stop skin fungus going round the family

Call 065-556-6294 · LINE @whd268

Related links and references

• World Health Disinfection: Disinfection Spraying Service
• CHEMGENE HLD4H disinfectant
• Residential ozone disinfection
• Thai PBS, Sa Kaeo flooding, 30 Sep 2026: thaipbs.or.th
• Krungthep Turakij, Sa Kaeo rainfall report, 4 Oct 2026
• Department of Disease Control, Thailand: ddc.moph.go.th
• CDC Floods: cdc.gov/floods
• WHO fact sheets: who.int

This article is general prevention information, not medical advice. Anyone with a foot wound, swelling, redness, heat, fever or diabetes should see a doctor.