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Ministry ready for wider outbreaks |
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PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry is "locked and loaded" to cope with more widespread outbreaks of bird flu should these occur. Disease Control Department director Dr Ramlee Rahmat said yesterday the ministry had had in place since last year a plan of action (POA) to handle an outbreak. "The POA includes active surveillance checks and preparation of designated hospitals and laboratories for testing human samples," he told the Sun yesterday. Ramlee said the ministry has sufficient staff nationwide to execute the plan of action in all states. |
"But if the situation worsens, we will mobilize staff from other states to help out in affected states, just as we did during the dengue outbreak last year." He said that if the 21 hospitals nationwide designated for the disease could not accommodate the number of patients with suspected bird flu, and provided that the virus cannot be transmitted from human to human, the ministry would consider upgrading district hospitals as additional isolation wards. "Patients suspected to have bird flu will first be admitted and monitored at the district hospitals, and if necessary, they will be transferred to the designated general hospitals for further examination and treatment," Ramlee said. |
To date, only two patients in Seberang Perai with flu symptoms had been admitted to the Kepala Batas Hospital and Penang Hospital. However, he said, investigations have shown that the symptoms in the two do not meet the criteria for bird flu, and they are expected to be discharged after receiving treatment. Many villagers have been seen rounding up fowl without donning protective suits, thus increasing the risk of their contracting the disease. Ramlee said villagers should wear any protection gear they might have, like masks, gloves and goggles. |
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