Malaysians scramble for lozenges, eye drops due to haze

Hundreds of passengers were left stranded at the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Selangor, Malaysia on Friday as the haze forced flights to be canceled or delayed. (New Straits Times photo)

Eye drops, throat lozenges and antihistamines for stuffy nose are in high demand as Malaysians try to stave off the adverse effects of the haze.

The items in many pharmacies in Malaysia are enjoying brisk sales. Assistant pharmacist Foong Pei Pei said many customers had been buying eye drops to soothe dry eyes.

“We also have many coming in with sore throats. We usually advise them to drink plenty of water. We have started giving out face masks to our customers, as we want them to stay safe,” she said.

Since Friday, 13 September, many state assemblymen have been at schools and markets, distributing face masks on behalf of the state government.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) called for drastic measures to address the transboundary haze problem.

“Plantation companies often fail to comply with Indonesian laws and resort to the use of open burning in land-clearing activities,” said its president Meenakshi Raman, adding that it fully supported Indonesia in stopping forest fires permanently, starting with having a clear understanding of the causes.

In Kedah, the state government advised farmers to avoid burning padi husks (rice husks).

State Climate Change and Environment Committee chair Simon Ooi Tze Min said it was the harvest season, and since the haze situation was quite bad, farmers should not add open burning to the problem.

“If possible, avoid such activities to prevent the haze from worsening your health. I also advise people to minimize outdoor activities so as not to jeopardize their health,” he told Bernama News Channel.

Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said there had been no extraordinary increase in the number of haze-related illnesses.

He said the ministry was monitoring diseases which could result from exposure to the haze, such as asthma, eye and respiratory infections.

“So far, there has been no spike in the number of patients with such illnesses,” he said when speaking to reporters after launching a community program organized by the Bagan parliamentary constituency office on Monday.

However, Bernama reported that Negri Sembilan chair of the state Health, Environment, Cooperatives and Consumerism Committee S. Veerapan said there had been an increase of 14.3 per cent in the number of upper respiratory tract infections, eye infections (3.1 per cent) and asthma cases (1.4 per cent) in the state.

Veerapan said the department had directed its staff to be prepared to face the possibility of a further increase in the number of haze-related cases in the state.

“Health education activities have been intensified in health clinics, especially with high-risk groups, to lessen the impact on health caused by the haze,” he said.

He added that steps had also been taken to ensure medical supplies were adequate to meet the needs of the patients.

Malaysia will focus its cloud seeding operations in haze-affected states Selangor and Johor, which have recorded high Air Pollutant Index (API) readings. Operations began 11 a.m. Monday at Sultan Azlan Shah (SAS) Airport in Subang at the Petaling District of Selangor. (Straits Times, CNA)