No certainty Penang floods had triggered sudden deaths: Doctor

GEORGE TOWN: There is no evidence to link a spate of sudden deaths in Penang to the mammoth floods which had inundated 80% of the state on Nov 5.
To-date, three sudden death cases have been reported in the past two weeks after the flood had engulfed a major part of the state - all were suspicious in nature since the victims were mostly middle-aged adults.
The mainland suffered the most damages as the flood waters took days to recede.
State Health Committee chairperson Dr Afif Bahardin told a press conference here that the public health authorities were investigating the cases.
"We are checking but as of now, there is no certainty that the floods had triggered the sudden deaths of these individuals."
In a report that the sudden death of trader Lee Kian Beng from Taman Sri Rambai in Bukit Mertajam, could be attributed to the floods, Afif said a detailed examination revealed that it was inconclusive.
It does not clearly specify that Lee died from flood-related ailments, he said.
Rather, the report indicated that he died from a lung infection.
"And lung infection can be due to a myriad of circumstances, not just one. So we cannot conclude that the floods could have caused his death."
Afif said the most common ailments during and after the flooding, are leptospirosis, common water-borne diseases such as cholera and food poisoning.
He said the state public health authorities have yet to detect epidemic cases.
In a related development, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng welcomed more contributions to the state-level flood relief fund, which has collected close to RM16 million to-date.
Among those who had stepped forward were the Federation of Malaysian Hardware, Machinery & Building Materials Dealers Association, the Penang Hardware and Machinery Merchants' Association and the Taipei Investors Association.