No coronavirus cases reported in Malaysia so far, proactive measures continue

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 -- No cases of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), also known as the Wuhan virus, have been reported in Malaysia so far, with the authorities continuing with proactive measures to trace and prevent the spread of the virus.

In a statement today, health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said apart from increasing screenings at entry points across the country, cooperation with Singaporean counterparts was also underway and this included the sharing of information.

As a result of information received from Singapore's Health Ministry, eight Chinese nationals comprising four adults and four children, who arrived in Johor Bahru from Singapore yesterday, are being quarantined at a hotel in the Malaysian city for monitoring by health authorities.

The eight are being quarantined because they had travelled with a 66-year-old male Chinese national from Wuhan who arrived in Singapore on Jan 20, and was confirmed yesterday as the island-republic's first case of the coronavirus, said Dr Noor Hisham.

The information shared by Singaporean counterparts had enabled the Johor Health Department to act quickly in detecting the eight travellers who had come into contact with the individual who had tested positive in Singapore, the director-general explained.

Screenings conducted on the eight individuals found no symptoms of the virus, while they will be monitored for up to 14 days or until they return to their country, Dr Noor Hisham said, adding that the ministry would continue to monitor the current development of the coronavirus outbreak in China through information obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other official sources.

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According to international media reports, there have been 25 deaths, with over 800 coronavirus cases confirmed in China.

The virus which causes pneumonia-like symptoms, was first reported in Wuhan, China on Dec 31 last year before spreading to other countries including Singapore which has three confirmed cases; Thailand, Japan and Korea which each have two cases; and the United States which has one case, so far.

Yesterday, the authorities announced that tests on all four suspect cases in Malaysia, comprising two each in Selangor and Sabah, had come back negative. 

Meanwhile, other parties which have also taken proactive measures, include carriers AirAsia and Malindo Air which have temporarily suspended all flights to and from China.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement here today said it has been following China's decision to extend the suspension of outbound travel from Wuhan, to seven other cities - Huanggang, Ezhou, Chibi, Xiantao, Qianjiang, Zhijiang and Lichuan - to control the outbreak.

The Malaysian Embassy in Beijing has established an Emergency Response Team to reach out to Malaysians in affected areas.

Similar efforts are also being undertaken by Malaysian consulates in other parts of China - Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Kunming, Nanning, Shanghai and Xi’an - and the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Centre in Taiwan.

"Malaysians residing or travelling in the affected areas are advised to give utmost priority to their personal health and safety by taking precautionary measures and adhering to instructions issued by the local authorities, including avoiding public places and seeking immediate medical care if they suffer symptoms such as a fever, cough or breathing difficulties within 14 days of returning from the affected areas," the statement said. 

In other developments, in a bid to encourage Malaysians to protect themselves from influenza infections, e-commerce platform Shopee has made searches for products such as face masks, hand sanitisers and disinfectants, easier at its dedicated page: https://shopee.com.my/m/anti-influenza-necessities.

-- BERNAMA