KUCHING: Although the monkeypox has been declared by World Health Organisation (WHO) as a global health emergency, the risk for it to cause large outbreak is unlikely.
Infectious diseases expert, Professor Dr Sanjay Rampal from Universiti Malaya (UM) said that this is because the virus does not spread easily from person to person.
“Those with fever and a rash over their body should seek further care from the health centre or general practitioner’s clinic.
“Those with pustules should be isolated as they are infective. Tests are not readily available, and no self-test are available,” he said
He continued to explaine that the country’s borders and the international borders in general should continue to be opened based on the prevailing information it has.
“Monkeypox is a self-limiting disease that typically resolves on its own, and based on the prevailing information, the risk of monkeypox transmission is low and unlikely to pose a large burden to society,” he added.
He then also added that many older Malaysians had received smallpox vaccination many decades ago as part of the National Immunisation Programme.
“A mass vaccination campaign against smallpox is not indicated because the risk of human-to-human transmission is low, as the risk of severe diseases is low, and that the small vaccination is unlikely to stop transmission of monkeypox,” he added.
Earlier, monkeypox has been declared as the global health emergency by WHO on Saturday (July 23) after over 16,000 cases were reported in more than 70 countries according to the USA Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention since May.
