PUTRAJAYA: Eleven heat exhaustion and three heatstroke cases have been reported in Malaysia to date due to the extreme hot weather currently faced by the country.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam said there was a fatality as a result.
Of 11 cases treated due to heat exhaustion five were at the Banting Hospital, two at the Langkawi Hospital and one each at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital, Port Dickson Hospital and the Putrajaya Hospital, he said.
He said two heatstroke patients were still being treated at the Banting Hospital while in the case at the Segamat Hospital, the patient died.
“Yesterday, a male trainee policeman at the Segamat Police Training Centre (Pulapol) became the first victim to die of heatstroke, which caused his body cells to stop functioning,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
Dr Subramaniam said the victim was admitted at the hospital after fainting during his training held at an indoor field track. Yesterday, Azizan Ayob, 23, who was one of the 467 trainee policemen who had reported at the training centre on March 13, died at 10.26pm at the Segamat Hospital.
Dr Subramaniam said according to hospital’s report, the victim succumbed to the illness due to dehydration (decreased water intake) which eventually led the blood become concentrated and tissues were not getting enough oxygen.
“This situation triggered metabolic acidosis (a condition marked by an excessive production of body acids or impairments in normal acid removal) which led to failure of various organs despite the hospital providing mechanical ventilation,” he explained.
Dr Subramaniam advised the public to drink an adequate amount of water, limit strenuous outdoor activities, wear lighter clothing and stay in a place with sufficient ventilation.
To a question, Dr Subramaniam said he had suggested to the government agencies such as police, the army and Sports and Youth ministry to reduce activities including marathons and intense physical exercises during this extreme hot weather. — Bernama