KUALA LUMPUR – Over the past few days, many victims of the ongoing floods in the peninsula’s east coast have used social media to share images and updates on the disaster.
Among these, a video showing two young men, apparently caught in a house hit by the floods, dipping bread in the murky waters and then eating it has sparked a wave of anger and concern.
The viral clip has sparked criticism from netizens who expressed anxiety about the youngsters’ health, reports Getaran, The Vibes’ Bahasa Malaysia sister portal.
“It looks funny but I’m crying inside,” commented social media user Megat Zulkefli Sulai.
Another with the username MR Polah 86 described the action as senseless, quipping that the youths should also upload a video of them suffering stomach aches and diarrhoea later.
The video also caught the attention of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s public health professor, Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh, who stressed that the act is harmful to health.
Speaking to The Vibes, she said the floodwater can be a source of various infectious diseases such as leptospirosis (an ailment caused by rat urine), typhoid, cholera, hepatitis A, and melioidosis. She also mentioned other water-borne diseases, as well as vector-borne diseases such as dengue, are prone to increase in such high waters.
“Floodwater can be contaminated with human excrement and animal excrement containing pathogens.
“So this practice of dipping bread into polluted water can be harmful to the health of the individuals involved in that act.
“It can cause diarrhoea, fever, vomiting, stomach ache, headache, body ache, jaundice, and stool getting mixed with blood. For severe cases, it can cause dehydration and death,” she added.
Therefore, she advised the public not to use floodwater, which is bound to contain germs and viruses that can bring diseases, even leading to death.
Sharifa Ezat also urged those who experience symptoms of waterborne diseases during the flood season to immediately seek treatment.
“I advise the public not to drink or be exposed to floodwater because during the flood season the treatment will be very hard since we all can’t go anywhere,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dr Khairul Hafidz, chairman and founder of MedTweetMY, an online gathering of Malaysian medical professionals, requested the public not to follow what was shown in the video.
“I saw on TikTok that young men soaked bread with floodwater. Please do not follow this since the floodwater is dirty and can cause food poisoning,” he said.
“I pray that the victims can be rescued and taken to a temporary relocation centre,” he said.
Dr Khairul also advised parents to keep an eye on their children’s whereabouts during floods in order to prevent unwanted incidents. – The Vibes, December 20, 2022
