Even though Malaysia has not reported any new monkeypox (mpox) cases in 2024, the Health Ministry is intensifying its surveillance and advocacy efforts following the World Health Organization’s (WHO) highest alert. The Malaysian authorities are enhancing monitoring at international entry points, requiring all travelers from countries with reported mpox cases to monitor their health for 21 days after arriving in Malaysia.
The ministry urges individuals with a history of high-risk activities or symptoms like rashes and blisters to seek prompt medical attention at the nearest health facility and to avoid contact with others to help prevent the virus from spreading. Healthcare providers in both public and private facilities are mandated to report any suspected or confirmed cases to their nearest district health office to ensure that appropriate prevention and control measures are swiftly enacted.
The ministry has assured the public that there are sufficient laboratories available for testing and diagnostics. A total of 10 labs, including two private ones, are equipped to perform PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests to confirm diagnoses. To raise awareness, the ministry is distributing educational materials to high-risk groups and at high-risk locations, such as spas and saunas.
Additionally, the ministry emphasized that businesses offering services involving skin-to-skin contact must maintain strict hygiene standards and ensure that both employees and customers are free from symptoms like blisters or rashes.
“If an employee or customer shows symptoms, they should promptly seek medical attention,” the ministry stated on August 18. It further noted that it will maintain collaboration with other government and non-government agencies, including public and private hospitals, to monitor, detect, and treat mpox cases. The ministry will also keep a close watch on the situation both domestically and internationally.
In a separate development, Indonesia’s Health Ministry’s acting director-general of disease prevention and control, Mr. Yudhi Pramono, stated on August 18 that foreign visitors are required to disclose their medical records and recent travel history by completing forms at entry points.
“Visitors who are unwell are advised not to continue their journey in Indonesia,” he told the Jakarta Globe.
On August 14, the WHO declared mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, a global public health emergency for the second time. The first declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) was made on July 23, 2022, and was lifted on May 11, 2023.
The WHO stated that the second declaration was issued following the recommendation of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee due to the rapid spread of a new mpox strain, known as clade 1b, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring African countries.
Malaysia has reported a total of nine mpox cases since the first was identified on July 26, 2023, including one case recorded in November. The Health Ministry stated that all the reported cases involved individuals with a history of high-risk activities and that all have recovered, with no fatalities reported.
Commenting on the situation, Professor Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh, a health economics and public health expert from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Faculty of Medicine, emphasized that individuals who have had sexual encounters with partners from countries where mpox cases have been reported, including regions where the disease is endemic, should be closely monitored.
Source: The Straits Times
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