Disease's rise after New floods hit Malaysia
Pastor Dale Morgan
Disease's rise after New floods hit Malaysia*
By Jalil Hamid
Reuters
Monday, January 15, 2007; 4:56 AM
SERI MEDAN, Malaysia (Reuters) - Fears of disease gripped Malaysia's
flood-devastated south on Monday and more than 100,000 evacuees were
crammed into emergency shelters.
Two people have died from leptospirosis, caused by exposure to water
contaminated with the urine of animals such as rats, bringing the death
toll from the worst floods in nearly 40 years to 15.
Health workers planned to step up inoculations against typhoid and
fumigate mosquito-prone areas to guard against diseases such as dengue
fever and malaria. Warnings have also been issued about cholera.
Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told the Sun mobile phone news
service that 106 schools in the hardest-hit state of Johor had been shut
and would be used as relief centers. More than 40 schools were already
inundated, the report added.
Tens of thousands of victims also faced food shortages following the
return of heavy monsoon rains to southern states after last month's
severe flooding.
"We are in grave need of food supplies," Welfare Minister Shahrizat
Jalil said.
There were also reported cases of looting from abandoned homes,
officials said.
Abdul Latif Sapri, a truck driver, and his family have been taking
shelter at a relief camp for the past 26 days after floods swept through
their riverside house last month.
The 55-year-old, who has been having sleepless nights from the flood
trauma, says he is uncertain about his future.
"I'm puzzled why this is happening to me," Latif said in a crowded
badminton hall-turned-relief center in Seri Medan, a rural town in Johor.
Residents in Seri Medan said there was at least one case of malaria as
well as several cases of jaundice.
"A 40-year-old Malay woman is in hospital with malaria," Abdul Latif,
the flood victim, said.
Health department deputy chief Ramlee Rahmat warned the public not to
play in dirty flood water and to wear clothes that covered their bodies
to prevent them from becoming infected.
"But we are more concerned about food and water-borne diseases such as
typhoid and cholera because those can spread fast. We are monitoring the
situation," Ramlee told Reuters.
The symptoms of leptospirosis include diarrhea, vomiting and kidney or
liver problems.
The government said many people, who had returned home after the first
floods, refused to leave home again.
"I cannot stress the urgency of evacuation enough," said Johor Chief
Minister Abdul Ghani Othman.
"The longer people opt to stay in their flooded homes, the higher the
chances of facing the threat of attacks and diseases from animals," he said.
The latest floods cut off several towns in Johor, which is a major oil
palm and rubber growing region, and shut down power and water supplies.
Johor is just across a narrow strait from Singapore, which has also been
hit by days of heavy rain.
The damage bill from last month's floods, which also displaced more than
100,000 people, was estimated at more than 100 million ringgit ($28
million).
Flood victims in Johor complained of inadequate supplies and cash aid.
"We don't have blankets, mattresses, pillows, soaps, infant's milk at
this relief center," said Mohamad Jamian, 57, who is taking refuge at a
school.
"We have not seen the 500 ringgit promised by the government. But there
are a lot of mosquitoes."
($1 = 3.5 ringgit)