MoH advises against wading in or playing with floodwaters
The Malaysian Ministry of Health (MoH) has advised individuals affected by floods to avoid playing with floodwaters for fear of contamination with waste from the septic tanks, animals’ droppings, and corpses. This was to prevent victims of a recent devastating floods that hit several states in West Malaysia from contracting flood-related diseases including leptospirosis.
The MoH said affected individuals must wash themselves off with clean water if they have come into contact with flood waters, “Do not shower yourself or wash anything or food items using flood waters, but always go for clean water and bottled water for drinking and [washing] food items.”
The MoH also advised all involved in any evacuation or flood-relief exercise to use personal protective gear such as gloves, boots, and life-saving jackets; the same goes for those engaging in post-floods cleaning – flood victims and volunteers have been asked to seek immediate medical attention if they experience a fever within 30 days after the cleaning task.
Those at evacuation centres, meanwhile, are to uphold the highest standards of hygiene and avoid accumulation/wastage of food to keep the centres from turning into breeding ground for flies, rats, and other pests.
In other news, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has warned of a surge in COVID-19 cases among victims at evacuation centres after detecting some 180 positive cases. The floods in late December have caused untold damage to property and left numerous houseowners displaced and motorists stranded on flooded roads.
Read: Malaysian private hospital achieves international recognition for stroke care practices
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