Have you heard about water and food-borne diseases? Well, let us educate you. Malaysia is one of the countries that always get hit by floods according to the season. The rain usually falls non-stop for days and causes the river to be filled with water and flood the nearest areas.
Sometimes, it also happens because of humans themselves. Aside from the flood caused by natural disasters, there are also flash floods. Even though it rains temporarily, an area could be flooded because the drainage systems are limited.
Even though sometimes floodwater can look clean and clear, it is actually dangerous. Do you know that you can get sick because of it? It is more dangerous when your drinks and food are contaminated by the floodwater.
Therefore, one must always make sure that the food and drinks they are consuming are clean. If not, there is a risk of getting one of these diseases.
Know these water and food-borne diseases during flood season:
1) Typhoid
- A life-threatening infection caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi.
2) Food poisoning
- An illness caused by eating contaminated food.
3) Hepatitis A
- An inflammation of the liver can cause mild to severe illness.
4) Cholera
- An acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholerae bacteria.
5) Dysentery
- An infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.
Do not take the signs of diarrhoea, fever, vomiting, and stomachache as nothing. Remember, some of these water and food-borne diseases are life-threatening!
Sources: @KKMPutrajaya, NHS, NHS, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, NHS, WHO