The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) recently announced that Malaysia will experience continuous heavy rainfall from mid-November, leading to probable major flash floods in several states, and the monsoon season will last until early next year.
Alpro Pharmacy, Malaysia’s largest prescription pharmacy chain, would like to outline several precautionary measures for residents in flood-prone areas, from a community pharmacist’s point of view, to proactively mitigate flood damages ahead of the period and in the aftermath.
Prior to a flood:
• Closely monitor your surroundings and to stay up to date on weather forecasts and warnings.
• Assemble disaster supplies including long-term medications and first aid kits in water-proof bags in case of evacuation.
• Patients, especially the elderly, with chronic diseases, are advised to visit their nearest pharmacy along with their chronic medications in order to keep a record in the pharmacy and have an up-to-date medication list.
Patients who have lost their hard-copy prescription and are facing difficulty retrieving their medication list will benefit from storing their medication history at their nearest community pharmacy. Chronic medications, in particular, require compliance and consistency for an optimal health outcome.
In the aftermath of a flood:
Due to poor sanitation and hygiene in flood areas, they could be catalyst for flood-borne diseases such as Leptospirosis, Cholera, and Dengue fever. Flood survivors should keep an eye out for general symptoms such as fever, headache, diarrhoea, muscle aches, and vomiting to help identify possible infections. In the case of any such symptoms, please visit the nearest healthcare centres immediately.
For those who had their chronic medication contaminated or washed away by the flood, Alpro provides a one-time supply for up to 7 days for free. Communities affected by the flood can visit any of the 200 Alpro Pharmacy outlets nationwide to speak to the pharmacists for more details. A police report copy of the flooding is required for verification purposes.
