Tighter Health Screening for MERS At Malaysian Entry Points

Monday, Jun 22, 2015
Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia has stepped up health screenings at all entry points into the country, after the first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was reported in neighbouring Thailand last week.

The Southeast Asian nation, which shares a 650 km (400 mile) land border with Thailand, has already begun monitoring body temperatures at the airports, Deputy Health Minister Hilmi Yahaya said in a statement to state news agency Bernama.

"Now, we are going further to include all entry points," he said.

Visitors entering the country would also be briefed on precautions to be taken to avoid being infected with the disease, the minister said in the statement. There have so far been no cases of MERS reported in Malaysia.

South Korea has been dealing with the largest outbreak of MERS outside Saudi Arabia, and on Monday reported two more deaths, bringing the number of fatalities to 27. Seoul also said it had confirmed three more MERS cases, taking the total in the outbreak to 172.

Thailand's health ministry said at the weekend that 175 people were exposed to its only case of MERS, which was unconnected to the outbreak in South Korea.

MERS 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.

Isolated cases have cropped up in Asia before South Korea's outbreak.

Source: asiaone

Malaysian Man Died From MERS-CoV

SINGAPORE — A Malaysian man in Johor has died from Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) — the country’s first confirmed fatality from the virus — after returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, less than a week after a Filipino hospital worker died of the virus in the United Arab Emirates. 

The 54-year-old developed respiratory complications after returning on March 29. He died on April 13, three days after being admitted into hospital for fever, cough and breathing difficulties, the STAR newspaper reported. 

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The Malaysian authorities have urged those on board Turkish Airlines Flights TK93 and TK60 on the Jeddah-Istanbul-Kuala Lumpur route on March 29 to contact the Malaysian Health Ministry for a health screening. 

In a statement yesterday, Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) said it was closely monitoring the latest development and is in close contact with its counterparts. As of Tuesday, the ministry had investigated 33 suspect cases this year and all tested negative. 

Despite the risk of an MERS-CoV outbreak being low, hospitals are prepared to test for the virus, the MOH said. All suspected and confirmed cases will be isolated and managed under strict airborne infection control precautions. Contact tracing would be conducted where necessary and all close contacts would be placed under quarantine.

There is currently no advisory against travel to countries on the Arabian Peninsula or to countries with imported cases of MERS-CoV, including Malaysia, but the MOH said health advisories for travellers are in place at border checkpoints. 

Meanwhile, one of the five Filipino health workers who tested positive for the virus in the UAE has returned to the Philippines. Mr Enrique Ona, the country’s Health Secretary, yesterday said the man had contact with the Filipino who died last week. While his blood tested positive, the man does not have symptoms of the disease and has been isolated, while those who have had contact with him are being traced and quarantined. Philippine President Benigno Aquino has ordered government agencies to take measures to prevent the spread of the virus, the Inquirer reported yesterday. 

The MOH has advised frequent travellers to the Middle East, as well as Umrah or Haj pilgrims, to be vaccinated against influenza and meningitis. Those aged 65 and above or with chronic medical conditions should also get vaccinated against pneumococcal infections before travelling. Pilgrims with pre-existing chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, chronic heart and lung conditions should consult a doctor before travelling, to assess whether they should make the pilgrimage. 

MERS-CoV is a novel coronavirus that causes acute respiratory illness in infected patients. The World Health Organization has recorded 238 cases of this disease and 92 deaths related to the virus globally to date. AGENCIES 

Source: Today Online