Ebola screening for international arrivals at KKIA

KOTA KINABALU: As fear of the deadly Ebola spreads globally, Sabah is taking precautionary measures to prevent the epidemic from reaching its shores.State Health Director Dr Christina Rundi said one such measure is screening for potentially exposed travellers.

"We are not taking chances but screening all international arrivals both at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), although Sabah doesn't have direct flights from Ebola-affected countries.

"Screening is also done for other infectious diseases," she said when contacted.

According to the Director, a thermo scanner (or body heat scanner) has been installed at the KKIA for temperature checks since 2009.

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She said the Immigration authorities are (also) supposed to inform the Health Office at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) of passengers with a history of travel to (Ebola affected countries in) Africa.

Asked why Sabah travellers returning from Cameroon recently were not quarantined at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport's (KKIA) Isolation Unit as a preventive measure, Dr Rundi said they would have been screened at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

"For now, Cameroon is not one of the countries hit by Ebola virus," she clarified.

However, she advised those returning from Ebola-affected countries to come forward to any health facilities if they show signs of fever as the incubation period is 2-21 days.

All passengers arriving in Malaysia from Ebola-affected countries such as Guinea, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia are screened at the KLIA. The US and Britain have also boosted screening at major airports.

At the same time, Dr Rundi assured that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is well prepared for any eventualities.

"From past experiences, we have always been on the alert for any epidemic. There has never been a lull in our preparedness for any health crisis," she said.

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The current Ebola outbreak has infected more than 10,000 people and killed nearly 5,000, according to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) latest figures.

Mali became the sixth country in Africa to report its first confirmed Ebola case involving the death of a 2-year-old child from the disease last Friday.

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