Flash floods are so common that they seem like part and parcel of life now but with them comes the increased risk of infectious diseases. That might seem like the least of people’s worries when it floods but water- and food-borne diseases is a public health issue that needs to be addressed. So how can we empower communities to be more aware and resilient? Here to help us unpack that is Dr Rafidah Lani, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya. She also recently headed the FIRST programme which stands for Flood-resilient Initiative for Risk Reduction and Safety: Transfer of Knowledge. 

Image Credit: FIRST Programme