Jakarta (ANTARA) – Lecturer in Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, YARSI University, DR. Dr. Wan Nedra Komaruddin, Sp.A, reminded field workers to increase health awareness when working in the rain and floods to prevent various potentially serious infectious diseases.
Wan Nedra, who is also the owner of the Asshomadiyah Medicare Center Clinic, said that field workers such as journalists, expedition couriers and other technical officers have a higher health risk because they are often exposed to dirty rain and flood water.
“Field workers face quite serious risks of disease, ranging from leptospirosis, skin infections, diarrhea, to respiratory tract infections,” said Wan Nedra when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta, Thursday.
He explained that leptospirosis is a disease that needs to be watched out for because it is caused by bacteria from the urine of rats or other animals that contaminate flood water.
These bacteria can enter through small wounds on the skin and cause high fever, muscle aches, and even kidney and liver problems if not treated immediately.
Apart from that, prolonged contact with dirty water can also trigger skin infections such as dermatitis, boils and fungus, as well as increase the risk of diarrhea and typhus due to bacteria and viruses entering the digestive tract.
Damp and cold conditions for long periods, he continued, also increase the risk of respiratory tract infections, including flu, bronchitis and pneumonia.
Wan Nedra emphasized that the most important step that field workers must take after being exposed to flood water is to clean themselves as soon as possible.
“Shower immediately with clean water and soap, especially on parts of the body that are in direct contact with flood water. Any wound, no matter how small, must be cleaned and treated with antiseptic,” he said.
He also advised workers to immediately change wet clothes and footwear, as well as clean work equipment such as boots and gloves so that they do not become a source of disease transmission.
If within a few days symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, diarrhea or festering wounds appear, he urges you to immediately go to a health facility.
For prevention, Wan Nedra recommends using personal protective equipment such as waterproof boots, gloves, raincoats, and bringing personal equipment in the form of antiseptic soap and spare socks.
He also recommends consuming vitamin C, vitamin B complex, zinc and multivitamins to maintain the body’s immune system.
Apart from that, field workers are advised to bring basic medicines such as wound antiseptic, antifungal medicine, diarrhea medicine, ORS, as well as ensuring that the tetanus vaccine status is still protected.
“Good preparation and clean living habits are very important so that field workers remain healthy, safe and productive even though they have to work in extreme weather conditions,” said the Head of the Greater Jakarta Nahdlatul Ulama (PDNU) Regional Management.
