SHARES
New Orleans 2005, Penang 2017, Johor/Pahang 2018 – what do these scenarios have in common? You guessed it right, devastating floods.
The most recent one has affected residents in the states of Pahang and Johor as well as nearby Singapore to a great extent. This is the Malaysian story, although many of us haven’t been affected in terms of being stranded or confined to the home, people in Johor – around 12000 of them have been evacuated from their homes; we tend to go through the same anxiety that people from these states are facing.
People have died, there has been heavy loss in terms of property, material loss – household items have been spoilt, more rains in the coming days threaten mudslides and flash floods. Doesn’t this remind us of Penang floods last year?
When the storm calms down, we are able to see the extent of damage created in actual. In the time when a massive flood inundated the city of Chennai in the south of India in 2015, flood water and sewage water got mixed and this presented a very bad danger to everyone. Water is something we cannot live without – outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, typhoid, leptospirosis, malaria, and dengue are bound to occur.
As a layman, what can you do to save yourself from further harm?
- Water-borne diseases are spread through water (as the name suggests) and when sewage has mixed with all water available, it is very essential to keep an eye on what is entering our body.
- Boiled water is a must in such a situation – pressure cooking is very common in Indian households and an expert suggests pressure cooking water at the highest heat for 10-15 whistles will sterilize ANY type of water.
- Always try to eat food that is hot and well-cooked.
- Try and keep surrounding areas free of mosquitoes.
- Maintain hygiene in the home, keep yourselves clean, wash after every trip outside with hot/warm water, Dettol, salt to scrub the feet to kill germs.
Stay safe and keep your family safe.
by Hridya
A biochemist by education who could never put what she studied to good use, finally found GetDoc as a medium to do what she loved - bring information to people using a forum that is dedicated to all things medical. View all articles by Hridya.
