Photo shows the isolation ward at Miri Hospital.
Datuk Dr Fam Tem Lom
MIRI: Rumours of a cover-up by the authorities on Zika cases here are completely unfounded, said Miri Hospital Infection Control Unit head Datuk Dr Fam Tem Lom.
The consultant physician explained that proper procedures must be followed with any suspected case as the country is now in containment phase.
“Any suspected case will be closely monitored by the Ministry of Health. Journalists who tried to reach the state-level department and claimed to have failed to do so is because, at this point of time, all suspected cases must be confirmed and announced by the federal Ministry of Health,” he told The Borneo Post on Thursday.
“The reason for this is to try to avoid any chaos and secondly to ensure that all sources leading to the case are correct.”
Dr Fam said blood and urine samples will initially be sent to private laboratories or hospital laboratories with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing capabilities.
“All samples that test positive at any lab shall be sent to IMR (Institute for Medical Research) for confirmation before it can be reported, followed by a public announcement,” he said, adding that PCR results have over 99 per cent accuracy.
He pointed out that the public, especially friends and family members, may be confused by the condition of suspected patients and worried about how they themselves may be affected.
“Based on the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, patients will be discharged after they have been proven to be clinically well, their serum PCR result is negative and urine PCR is positive. Otherwise, the patient will continue to be closely monitored.
“The definition of clinically well means the patient’s body has gradually formed immediate antibodies and these antibodies will form a resistance against the virus to protect the body and immune system,” he clarified.
Dr Fam said health education is crucial so the public understands the nature of the virus, its transmission, effects and post-recovery. He pointed out that the Zika virus is mostly spread by infected Aedes mosquitoes.
“It is actually the same mosquito that carries the dengue fever but to be specific, there are differences between symptoms of dengue fever and Zika.”
He said Zika patients have symptoms such as rashes together with two or more symptoms such as fever, arthralgia, arthritis or periarticular oedema as well as conjunctivitis.
“In Zika cases the rashes are noticeable during the first or second day after infection. Maculopapular is a type of rash characterised by a flat, red area on the skin that is covered with small confluent bumps.
“The conjunctivitis which occurs due to Zika is also noticeably different from bacterial infection because it is non-purulent,” said Dr Fam.
He stressed that it is crucial for the public to be able to identify Zika symptoms and report them to the authorities.
To avoid human-to-human transmission, blood transfusions and sexual intercourse should also be avoided.
“Transmission is said to be possible through bodily fluids such as tears, saliva and urine; the fact is that infection through bodily fluids may be possible if the viral load in the patient is very high. Therefore, it is crucial to quarantine and isolate the patient to prevent unnecessary incidents,” he said.
Dr Fam added that monitoring infected pregnant women is vital in case of microcephaly, particularly during the first trimester, when the baby’s head, brain and other organs are formed.
“At the moment, we are still monitoring the infected mother and it shall go on throughout the pregnancy,” he said.
Dr Fam added the ministry is also monitoring any possible symptoms that may lead to Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) – a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system, leading to varying degrees of weakness or tingling sensations in the legs including muscle weakness and paralysis.