13 Sabah sewage samples have polio virus
Published on: Wednesday, March 11, 2020
By: Mardinah Jikur
Photo for illustration only. File photo from Bernama.
SANDAKAN: Another polio case has been detected in Sabah – this time involving a three-year-old boy, a non-citizen, in Sandakan – bringing it to four cases in the State since last year.Health Director-General, Datuk Noor Hisham Abdullah said the child, similar to the other earlier cases, has never been vaccinated for polio. He said the toddler started having muscle weakness on his left leg since Jan 18 and was brought to the hospital where he is currently reported to be in stable condition.ADVERTISEMENT
“On March 5, the World Health Organisation Polio Regional Reference Laboratory in Australia confirmed it to be polio,” he added.
He said as of March 8, a total of four confirmed polio cases have been reported in Sabah since December last year.
All the cases have been confirmed by the World Health Organisation Polio Regional Reference Laboratory in Australia.
On Dec 6 last year, a three-month-old boy in Tuaran was diagnosed with polio. It was the first case since Malaysia was declared free of polio for the past 27 years.ADVERTISEMENT
Then in January this year, two boys, aged 11 and eight, were also diagnosed with polio in Kinabatangan. Both are non-citizens who have not received any immunisation at that time.
Currently, only the three-month-old boy from Tuaran remains under hospital care, according to Noor Hisham.
ADVERTISEMENT
He said the baby is in stable condition but still need help from a mechanical ventilator (breathing machine).
He also revealed that during the control and polio outbreak prevention field exercise carried out on Jan 24, a two-year-old non-citizen in Semporna was found with Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP). He said the girl had fever on Jan 10, followed by muscle weakness in her legs and was unable to walk normally on Jan 17, however she was not brought for treatment.
“Based on the research of a panel of experts, the case was classified as polio compatible, given that the symptoms are similar to polio,” he said.
He said the Ministry of Health has also conducted environmental inspections to detect polio virus in the surroundings.
As of March 8, a total of 13 sewage samples collected from several locations in Sabah last year have been detected with polio.
Surveillance or environment inspections have been extended to all districts across Sabah and across the nation to ensure that the virus is detected early. This was to ensure preventive measures can be taken immediately.
“Following the detection of polio virus in the environment, stool samples were also randomly taken from healthy children below five-years-old in the areas detected with the virus,” he said, adding that the polio virus was detected in the stool sample taken from a healthy three-year-old non-citizen in Semporna.
The case is not classified as polio case based on the global polio eradication guidelines because there were no symptoms.
“However the child is being monitored from time to time and given oral polio vaccine to build body immunity to polio infection,” he said.
Meanwhile, Noor Hisham said the Ministry through the State Health Department continues all activities to prevent polio outbreak in the State.
The Sabah Polio Immunisation Campaign started since Dec 27 last year is in progress.
The campaign is aimed at providing oral polio vaccine targeting all children under the age of 13 throughout Sabah.
Two doses of bivalent oral polio type 1 and 3 (boPV) and two doses of monovalent oral polio type 2 (moPV2) vaccine have and will be given orally to every child under the age of 13 Statewide.
As of March 8, a total of 517,038 children under 13 were given the first dose of boPV vaccine, while 206,972 children had received the second dose of boPV vaccine.
The moPV2 vaccine will begin in mid-March.
“All parents in Sabah must ensure that children below 13 receive the oral polio vaccine as stated,” he said, explaining that this (oral polio vaccine) is an additional polio vaccine to ensure the spread of the virus will stop.
Polio injection vaccine in the form of five-line vaccine (DTaP-IPV/Hib) containing diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Haemophilus influenza type b antigens should continue to be taken according to the schedule set at ages two, three, five and 18 months.
“This is to ensure that every child is protected from the polio infection,” he said.
For children in other states other than Sabah, parents need to make sure their children receive the polio vaccine according to the schedule set at two, three, five and 18 months.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
If there are children who have yet been given the polio vaccine injection, parents are advised to go to any health clinic for vaccine rescheduling according to the age of the child.
“Together we eradicate polio infection and restore polio-free status in Malaysia,” he said.