Malaysia health volunteers on alert for waterborne disease after mass floods

Pasir Mas — Health volunteers in Malaysia are preparing for a possible surge in waterborne diseases after devastating floods that prompted the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.

Floodwaters have started to recede in the worst-hit state of Kelantan, on Malaysia’s northeastern coast, but government data shows more than 40,000 people were still at temporary shelters on Wednesday amid fears of a potential second wave of flooding this week.

Videos of children playing in muddy floodwaters have gone viral online in recent days, sparking concerns about the potential spread of waterborne illnesses.

Nearly 5,000 cases of infectious diseases — including stomach flu and respiratory and skin infections — have been detected at Kelantan relief centres so far, government news agency Bernama reported on Tuesday.

The Malaysian Medical Relief Society said the number of reported cases have been manageable but its volunteers remained on alert for any spikes.

“We have sort of stockpiled our hygiene kits at our base camp. These are to be distributed if the surge of the community moving into the shelters happens again,” Shah Fiesal Hussain, the group’s head of global operations said at a flood relief shelter in Kelantan’s Pasir Mas district, near the border with Thailand.

The volunteers have also prepared activities for children at the shelters to prevent their exposure to flood-related health risks, he said.

The Meteorological Department on Wednesday said it expects a monsoon surge from December 8-14, which could bring continuous rain to the east coast of Malaysia’s peninsula and parts of Sabah and Sarawak states on Borneo island.

Reuters