KUCHING: Sarawak remains on high alert for the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) even though no cases have been reported in the state.
Assistant Minister of Public Health Datuk Dr Jerip Susil said strict monitoring remained in place on those coming in from MERS-CoV affected countries, such as South Korea and Middle East countries.
He said it was this strict surveillance and monitoring by the health authorities that had help contain the outbreak of infectious diseases in the country over the years. Recalling a case in Batu Pahat, Johor, last year, he said a 54-year-old man from there was the first victim in Asia to have died from MERS-CoV.
The man developed respiratory complications upon returning from umrah and died three days after being admitted to Hospital Sultanah Nora Ismail.
Dr Jerip said the health authorities were already on high alert then. “The moment there was a suspected case, those in contact with the victim was quarantined,” he said.
He added that when the victim was confirmed to be infected by MERS-CoV, the health authorities followed strictly Centre of Disease Control and Prevention’s protocol to tackle the issue.
Among others, the protocol demanded contact tracing and quarantining victim’s next-of-kin, hospital staff, and those involved in the burial.
Meanwhile, Malaysia has stepped up health screening at all entry points in the country after the first case of MERS-CoV was reported in Thailand last week.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya was quoted as saying that visitors entering the country would also be briefed on precautions to be taken to avoid being infected with the disease.
Reuters reported that South Korea has been dealing with the largest outbreak of MERS-CoV outside Saudi Arabia, and on Monday it recorded two more deaths, bringing the number of fatalities to 27.
It added that Seoul confirmed three more MERS-CoV cases, taking the total in the outbreak to 172.
It also quoted Thailand’s health ministry as saying that 175 people were exposed to its only case of MERS-CoV at the weekend.
MERS-CoV was first identified in humans in Saudi Arabia in 2012, and the majority of cases have been in the Middle East.
Scientists are not sure of the origin of the virus, but several studies have linked it to camels, Reuters reported.