The Health Ministry has reassured the public that it is taking all necessary measures by tightening controls and regulations at entry points across the country in efforts to prevent the spread of Enterovirus 71 (EV-71), cases of which have been reported in Cambodia recently.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the Ministry had also sent a medical team into Cambodia, as observers, to monitor the development in the country. With a direct link to the spread of the virus, Liow reaffirmed that Malaysia would be well prepared for any eventuality.
“According to reports we have received, it has been proven that the virus (EV-71) was found in the country (Cambodia) but some of the deaths that occurred were due to dengue as well,” he said on Wednesday.
EV-71 causes different reactions of varying intensity, which include acute respiratory disease, polio-like acute flaccid paralysis, the deadly brainstem encephalitis and the often mild HFMD, characterised as a self-limiting illness presenting with fever and accompanied by skin lesions or rashes.
Unfortunately, although the World Health Organization (WHO) has said it was still investigating, it has already confirmed the EV-71 infection in Cambodia was of the encephalitis type and not Human Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD). As such there are no known effective drugs or vaccines for EV-71.
Neighbouring countries are also taking no unnecessary risks.
The Health Department in Philippines this week made the announcement that it would require doctors and health care providers to report all incidents of Enterovirus 71 infections by making it a notifiable disease.
A notifiable disease is a disease that must be reported to public health authorities at the time it is diagnosed because it is potentially dangerous to human or animal health. It is also called reportable disease.
“This is necessary to make sure that the Philippines is free from the highly fatal severe form of EV-71 infections that have claimed the lives of (at least 52) children in Cambodia since April this year,” it said.
Here in Malaysia, proper disposal of waste, strict personal hygiene and regular hand washing should help to prevent any spread of the virus, which is known to be found in the human intestinal tract.
The Health Ministry issued the simple reminder for parents and day-care staff to clean and thoroughly disinfect toys and any equipment that is used by children to further hinder the infectiousness of EV-71.
Click here to visit the official web-portal of the Ministry for the latest developments. We at The Choice encourage all of our readers to be vigilant – watchfulness is one of the best public health measures possible.