HOUSING and Local Government Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin recently announced a large-scale disinfection exercise at 284 locations nationwide following a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the recent days.
The two-day operation, which recently ended, was conducted by the Fire and Rescue Department, with a focus on Selangor, which has continued to record the highest number of new daily cases.
But considering the number of experts who have come forward to question the wisdom and efficacy of carrying out these sanitisation operations, one has to wonder if conducting large-scale disinfection exercises is truly the right way moving forward.
According to World Health Organisation Science Council member and infectious disease expert Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, for example, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has since April this year updated its guidelines to advise against large-scale sanitisation exercises as a COVID-19 prevention measure.
Contrary to the ongoing exercise which targets open premises including public markets, the CDC updated guidelines stated that disinfection is recommended in smaller indoor settings where there’s been a suspected or confirmed case within the last 24 hours.
In most situations, added Dr Adeeba on Twitter, cleaning surfaces using soap or detergent is enough to reduce any presence of the coronavirus.
The Malaysian Public Health Physicians’ Association (PHPA) similarly criticised the move, saying that the move is not based on the latest scientific findings. Its president Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said that the chemicals used in sanitisation works are also feared to be harmful to the public.
Before any sanitisation or large-scale operations that involve the people’s health, PHPA recommends that the relevant agency seek advice from the Health Ministry first.
Oddly enough, Zuraida and Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department director-general Hamdan Wahid were quick to defend the sanitisation exercise, with Hamdan insisting that the sanitisation exercise was carried out based on CDC guidelines, as well as recommendations from the World Health Organisation and the Health Ministry.
This begs the question: Why is Zuraida so adamant that she is doing the right thing when an infectious disease expert and medical doctors have already said otherwise?
Rather than taking pot shots in the dark and wasting our already-dwindling resources that could be better used elsewhere to curb the spread of COVID-19, sometimes it bodes well to listen to medical experts instead. – June 3, 2021
