Tenom: Melalap Community Development Leader Simon Mamat urged residents in the district to remain vigilant and practise good personal hygiene in light of the acute gastroenteritis (AGE) outbreak.
The State Health Department had recently confirmed the AGE outbreak in the district.
Simon said the public should always boil drinking water to avoid virus infection, as recommended by the State Health Department.
“They must also ensure that drinking water is boiled and maintain cleanliness by washing hands properly before consuming any food,” he said.
Our report on June 18.
He said the public should be attentive to hygiene at all times, not just when using water but also when consuming food and beverages.
On Monday, the State Health Department disclosed that 191 Tenom individuals had been infected with AGE, with 37 of them admitted to hospital.
According to State Health Director Datuk Dr Asits Sanna, 33 people have been discharged, four more are still in the hospital and in stable condition, and 154 have been treated as outpatients.
Dr Asits said the State Health Department, through the Tenom District Health Office, began noticing an increase in AGE cases in the district on June 4 following constant AGE surveillance.
“An additional investigation based on the reported onset dates of symptoms between June 2 and 13 revealed a total of 191 notified AGE cases.
“Control activities included epidemiological investigations, laboratory investigations and health education for both patients and the general public.
“So far, 19 clinical samples have been collected from patients hospitalised at Tenom Hospital, with 16 demonstrating the presence of Rotavirus,” he said.
Dr Asits said the probable source of infection is likely eating polluted water and environmental samples have been collected to determine the cause of the incident. Investigations are ongoing.
