Materia Medica Malaysiana

Malaysia polio-free since 2000

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has nothing to fear from the discovery of two polio cases in the west Java province of Indonesia, National Health Services Department’s Disease Control Division director Dr Ramlee Rahmat said.
“Malaysia has been polio-free since the year 2000 and we actively monitor the situation on the ground,” he said.
Dr Ramlee said the department looked for symptoms of polio, such as acute flaccid paralysis, and immediately addressed it.
“We also have very good immunisation coverage (about 95%) and follow World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.”
Dr Ramlee said Indonesia was in the South-East Asian region, which was still not completely polio-free, whereas Malaysia was part of the Western Pacific region that had been polio-free for some time now.
“However, we have to remain alert and continuously monitor the situation.”
Indonesian authorities said a migrant worker might have contracted the disease in the Middle East before returning home.
Yesterday, Indonesia confirmed a second case involving a 20-month-old girl.
The case occurred in the same village as the first case involving an 18-month-old toddler last month.
These are the first polio cases in the country in a decade but health authorities said they were confident of preventing a major outbreak.
Polio is a waterborne disease that usually infects young children, attacking the nervous system and causing paralysis, muscular atrophy, deformity and sometimes death.
The WHO called on the Indonesian government on Tuesday to be on guard against the resurgence of the disease.