Diarrhoea situation in Tawau under control: Rose
Published on: Thursday, October 06, 2022
Dr Rose said a thorough study of the circumstances and the surrounding area, including the ice factory, had been done.
Kota Kinabalu: The Tawau Health Area Office registered a total of 85 cumulative cases of Acute Gastroenteritis (AGE) or diarrhoea in Sri Tanjong, Tawau from Sept 26 to Oct 1.State Health Director Datuk Dr Rose Nani Mudin, in a statement Wednesday, said the situation is under control and that no new cases have been reported in the area since Oct 2. Her statement came in response to AGE instances and a Facebook video that went viral on Oct 1 claiming that 80 cases of diarrhoea had been reported every day for a week in Sri Tanjong.
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The Tawau Area Health Office first learned of AGE cases from two private clinics on Sept 26. There were a total of 22 cases, with the majority of cases exhibiting symptoms of vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal discomfort.
“The Tawau Area Health Office’s preliminary findings reveal that the cases reside in various housing estates. Every case was only treated as outpatient,” she said.
She said a thorough study of the circumstances and the surrounding area, including the ice factory, had been done.
To determine the origins of the infection, the Tawau Health Area Office also performed laboratory testing on samples of ice, water and faeces. The presence of bacteria was not detected in any of the 19 stool samples from symptomatic subjects.
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The ice factory’s level of cleanliness was deemed to be adequate during a field investigation.
According to her, the Tawau Health Area Office’s monitoring on Oct 5 determined that the water condition in the affected housing estate was clear and that water sampling (in-situ testing) revealed no violations of the parameters of turbidity, chlorine, pH and temperature in any of the homes.
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The Sabah State Health Department is currently awaiting the results of the chemical tests performed on the water samples that were collected.
It advises the public to always observe the following precautions: Practise personal hygiene and frequently wash hands; cook food properly; store food at the proper temperature and in a clean place; use safe and clean water; and use boiling water.
Before eating or drinking, people are urged to apply the Look, Smell and Taste rule. AGE surveillance will be used by the Sabah State Health Department to continuously track the prevalence of AGE in all of Sabah’s medical facilities.
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