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Sunday January 14, 2007

Beware of rat urine disease, flood victims told

JOHOR BARU: Flood victims in the state should be on the lookout for signs of a bacterial disease that could be brought on by exposure to rat urine.

Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the disease, leptospirosis, could be spread through the urine of infec-

ted rodents mixed in floodwaters.

He said it could be easily contracted by those with wounds on their bodies, noting that two deaths had been reported here on Jan 6 and 8.

Stranded people looking at a massive road cave-in at the 57th kilometre of the Jalan Kota Tinggi-Kluang in Felda Ulu Pengeli, Johor, which resulted in access to Kluang being completely cut off. Some 20m of the road was totally caved, disconnecting Bandar Tenggara from Kluang after a second wave of floods hit the state. — KENNETH WONG / The Star
“Both victims, in their 40s and 60s, were flood victims from Kangkar Tebrau and Kampung Seri Purnama,” he told reporters after visiting relief centres in Kampung Pasir and Bukit Mutiara here yesterday.

Leptospirosis is usually caused by exposure to water contaminated with the urine of infected animals such as rodents, dogs and cattle.

Ghani said both victims experienced fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches, vomiting and diarrhoea but did not immediately seek medical attention.

“The victims are suspected to have had wounds on their bodies while going through floodwaters,” he said.

He urged flood victims to get medical help if they had symptoms of the disease.

Ghani also said it was compulsory for all food handlers at re-lief centres to receive typhoid jabs.

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