Malaysia Reports Findings Of Two Monkeypox Infection Cases

Volunteer pharmacist Foster Knutson filled the syringe with a dose of the JYNNEOS monkeypox and smallpox vaccine (ANTARA)

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Ministry of Health (KKM) confirmed two positive cases of mpox infection or monkeypox that occurred at the end of July 2023.

Malaysia's Director General of Health Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, in a written statement on Sunday, said the first confirmed case was July 26 at the time.

Quoted by ANTARA, Sunday, August 27, a foreign national (WNA) who has worked in Malaysia since April 2022 and has a history of travel to a country that has reported many cases of MPX.

The foreigner, who returned to Malaysia on July 10, began to have symptoms on July 19 and then began to appear on July 23, 2023.

Thempox patient underwent isolation and left on August 10 after being declared completely cured without complications.

The second case is a local resident who has a history of close contact with the first campox patient. He experienced symptoms while in quarantine.

He said the second patient of MPX in Malaysia began quarantine on July 27 and was confirmed positive on July 29. As of Friday, the patient was still undergoing isolation and was in good health.

According to Muhammad Radzi, all contacts of the first case have been identified and their health status has been tracked. None of them have symptoms of thempox infection except for the patient who is the second case.

As for the second patient, according to him, has no close contact.

KKM advises all tourists arriving from countries that report ampx to monitor their health status every day, including symptoms of ampox infection for a period of 21 days from the date of arrival in Malaysia.

Symptoms of the campix include fever, fatigue, headaches, and rashes - which start on the face and then spread to the palms of the hands and palms of the feet, followed by other parts of the body.

Patients may also experience pain in the back of the body, muscle seizures, and lymph node swelling.

Malaysia has prepared 10 laboratories that provide mpox detection test services, consisting of eight government laboratories and two private laboratories.

Those suspected of being infected are asked to report to the nearest health office through an e-notification system for further treatment.