 The floodwaters from the hurricane combined with raw sewage in many poor areas of southwestern Mexico , leading to a widespread threat for a spread of tropical diseases . As a result , government health workers opened vaccination centers in several cities along the Guerrero and Oaxaca coasts . Thousands were inoculated for typhoid fever and tetanus . Officials noted a potential threat for dengue and cholera as a result of the spoiled water . Health workers also stated mosquitos possessing malaria and dengue fever were likely to breed in large areas of leftover water . In Acapulco , about two days after the hurricane passed , the first day of sun in a week evaporated the areas of leftover water , spreading dust across the region with the deadly diseases . Residents were warned to boil their food and water for 30 minutes due to the threat for contamination by the dust . At least twenty cases of cholera and at least six cases of dengue fever were reported . Most significantly , there were 14 @,@ 630 cases of malaria in 616 villages in Oaxaca due to Pauline ; this represented about 80 % of the malaria cases in Mexico during 1998 . Army soldiers distributed chlorine tablets to disinfect water pools and wheelbarrows to remove rotting mud and sewage from their damaged homes . Two C @-@ 130 Hercules planes and twenty helicopters airlifted food and water to smaller villages south of Acapulco that were stranded for nearly a week after the hurricane . 
