PETALING JAYA, Sept 7 – The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) has called on all local authorities in the country to assist the Ministry of Health (MOH) in combating the spread of Influenza A (H1N1).
“It is a national crisis and it is just unfair to leave it just to the MOH to deal with the situation,” its secretary-general Muhammad Shaani Abdullah told Bernama today.
He said local authorities could do their part in ensuring the cleanliness of the surrounding especially the food stalls, restaurants and other eateries.
For example, he said the present “Bazaar Ramadhan” should be properly monitored to ensure that all food handlers observed personal hygiene and that the surrounding was clean.
“It is regrettable that the health departments in local authorities do not take measures to address this basic issue of cleanliness which was one important way to stop the spread of the disease,” he said.
Muhammad said the urgency of the situation had not “touched the common man in the street” and this was due to lack of proper information.
He suggested that the MOH rope in all NGOs, local community, religious, political, social and business organisations and work out a plan with them to spread the word around on the various ways to contain the disease.
Schools should also set up their own “peer groups” to help educate and spread the message of cleanliness among students. “While the mass media was playing its role, it had its limitations and people needed to be reached at the grassroots level,” he said. – Bernama
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