KUCHING: The recent news of a tuberculosis (TB) outbreak on social media has been grossly exaggerated, says a top health official.
State Health Department director Dr Jamilah Hashim told New Sarawak Tribune that the public should rest easy and not be too concerned following reports of an outbreak at the Emart shopping mall in Matang Jaya near here.
“Both (test results) came out negative…it was discovered that the victims contracted TB from a different location.
“It’s just unfortunate that both happened to work at Emart, Matang Jaya,” she said.
Dr Jamilah said they could have contracted TB from rural areas, mountainous regions and riverine areas.
“Now that the results are out, details verified, there’s no concern (Emart, Matang Jaya).”
Following news of the outbreak on social media, the Health Department conducted an investigation.
A statement was released to the media on Feb 28 stating that the two employees of the mall tested negative for TB.
“The results meant that the virus is at an early stage, which means the disease does not spread to others (non-contagious stage). Both will undergo further treatment till they are fully recovered,” Dr Jamilah said.
Some 158 persons known to have come in contact with the two have been tested and their results also came back negative for TB.
Dr Jamilah advised the public not to read too much into news sensationalised on social media, and to check the source and legitimacy.
