Malaysia Is Free Of Polio

JERANTUT, Sept 3 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is now completely free of polio following the compulsory immunization against the disease imposed by the government, said Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek Saturday.
He said the compulsory immunization imposed on all individuals in the country had given a 99-percent guarantee against polio infection.
"So far, the immunization had prevented the outbreak of polio and more than 95 per cent of Malaysians have already received immunization (the remaining five per cent are living in remote areas)," he told reporters after visiting the Jerantut Hospital, here.
He said this when asked to comment on a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of a polio outbreak in South-east Asia, particularly in Indonesia.
However, he said the government would intensify checks in the border areas especially with Indonesia, such as Sarawak to ensure that the disease did not spread to this country.
He said medical examinations on Indonesian nationals entering this country was crucial to ensure that they did not bring the disease to Malaysia.
Friday, Director-General of Health Datuk Dr Ismail Merican said that there was no ruling requiring Malaysians shuttling to Indonesia to undergo medical check-ups at the moment.
However, he said Malaysians who made frequent trips to Indonesia were encouraged to undergo medical examinations to ensure that they were free of infection.
In another development, Dr Chua expressed disappointment over the attitude of the public in misusing the services provided by the Emergency Unit at government hospitals.
"If it's just fever, foot ache, skin disease, there's no need to go to the Emergency Unit. The unit is for critical cases such as serious injury sustained during road accidents, heart attacks and so on," he said.
The minister said that based on the reports by hospitals under the ministry, 70 per cent of those who sought treatment at the Emergency Units had misused the services provided by the unit.
"They should seek treatment at the outpatient department," he added.