KOTA KINABALU: The management of a 1Borneo hypermall is closely monitoring the alleged spread of tuberculosis (TB) cases.
Its executive director, Dato’ Dr Tan Tiang Lai, told Luyang assemblyman Dr Hiew King Cheu who visited the hypermall, that seven workers had tested positive for TB and had been sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
They are believed to have contracted the virus at the housing colonies outside the mall.
Tan said the management had taken precautionary measures and sent 125 of its workers for TB testing.
“The management is also working very closely with the Health Department and is monitoring the situation seriously,” he said, stressing that no other further TB cases had been reported.
Hiew pointed out to Tan as TB is an air-borne disease, the air-condition and ventilation systems in the mall must be maintained at tip-top working order, and their ducts and filters must be checked and cleaned regularly.
“It is vital that the management should increase the ventilation rate to bring in more fresh air,” he said.
Tan said that they would take up Hiew’s advice and ensure that the air-condition and ventilation systems are serviced regulary.
Hiew made the visit after several people had received a message ‘advising’ them to avoid the mall due to the alleged spread of TB.
The ‘copy-and-paste’ text message claimed that there had been several staff and students working or studying within the premises contracting the disease, said to have orginated from the settlements near the mall.
State Health Director Dr Christina Rundi has confirmed that several workers at the 1Borneo have been infected by TB.
She said medical teams had been dispatched to screen all of the contacts of the patients in order to control the spread of the disease.