With poor air quality occasionally sweeping across parts of Malaysia, many fitness enthusiasts are left wondering whether it’s safe to push through their outdoor workouts. However, one local runner’s ordeal serves as a stark reminder of how dangerous breathing in polluted air can be for your lungs.
In a viral warning shared on Threads, user @syahothman urged fellow runners and outdoor lovers to postpone their outdoor activities and shift to indoor exercises instead after suffering a severe lung infection.
“To anyone who plans to run, jog or do any outdoor activity, please postpone it for now and do indoor exercise or training instead. I’ve already had a lung infection due to the haze during the recent outdoor training. Now I’ve been coughing for almost 1 and a half weeks, and the phlegm has started to show signs of blood. Now I’m waiting for the x-ray results and phlegm sample at the hospital. Please take care of your health, guys. This haze is no joke. Stay safe!“ he wrote.
Severe fever followed by coughing up blood
The runner, who resides in Shah Alam, said he frequently trains along popular outdoor routes such as Tasik Seksyen 7 and around UiTM Shah Alam.
Recalling how his condition started, he shared that it began with a high fever lasting two days before escalating into a severe, persistent cough that spanned over a week and a half. Alarmingly, he eventually noticed traces of blood in his phlegm.
“I was aware that running in the haze is dangerous, so I always checked the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading on Google.
“Mostly, I ran after heavy rain before the haze got worse over the last two weeks. I thought an API below 120 was safe enough to run in, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case,” he told WORLD OF BUZZ.
After visiting a government hospital, he underwent chest X-rays and submitted sputum samples for testing to determine the extent of his lung infection.
“My friends didn’t really care, so I decided to warn the public”
Fortunately, his health is gradually improving. While waiting for his full test results over the next two weeks, he is currently under self-quarantine, taking prescribed hospital medication, and combining it with traditional remedies like warm honey and soaked dried tangerine peel tea to soothe his airways.
He decided to post his experience online after realizing that many of his friends in local running groups were still brushing off the health risks of outdoor exercising during hazy periods.
“I tried warning my friends in running groups, but they didn’t really care. So I decided to post on Threads hoping people out there will be more aware and won’t end up like me,” he shared.
Have you been keeping your workouts indoors during bad haze days? Let us know in the comments below!
