El Nino bearing down on Malaysians

PETALING JAYA: More Malaysians are falling sick over the past few months due to the hot and dry weather brought on by the El Nino phenomenon.

Even some of those who recovered after taking medication claimed that they fell sick again in just a matter of days because of the heatwave.

Ann Marshall, 43, said when she felt the first signs of fever, cough and flu two weeks ago, she had gone to the doctor immediately.

“I was diagnosed with bronchitis and this is the first time I am experiencing this. I am also having difficulty breathing.

“I was taking more iced drinks to cool down in the hot weather and the difference between the heat outside and the air-conditioned office environment made things worse,” she said here yesterday.

Marshall, who is a secretary with an aviation company in Damansara, said she had taken a full dose of antibiotics, along with six other medications to recover.

However, she fell sick again within 24 hours of her recovery, but this time she refused to take more medication.

“I’m taking natural supplements which I also find helpful and I’m drinking a lot of water to help with the heat,” she said.

Lawyer Gowri Chandran, 27, was among the increasing number of Malaysians who had shown signs of fever, cough and flu in the past few weeks.

“I was down with fever for more than four days and I’m still coughing,” she said.

The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) said it was prepared to carry out cloud seeding exercises over several northern states, including Perlis, Pahang, Kedah as well as Sabah and Sarawak.

Its director-general Datuk Zaitun Ab Samad said the full details would be determined by a Workgroup Meeting on Tackling the Hot and Dry Weather to be chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim later.

“We have yet to get the full details but I believe we will conduct operations in areas that are facing water shortage,” she said.

She said the cloud seeding operations would be jointly carried out by the air force and the Meteorological Department and coordinated by Nadma following the Cabinet’s approval.

“It is not a full blown crisis but we are prepared to carry it out in certain areas.

“Many states still have enough water in their dams,” she said.

As at 4.30pm yesterday, the levels at Bukit Merah, Perak, and Bukit Kwong, Kelantan, recorded below the 50% storage level.