Category: Medical

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has denied the claim that nurses in the country will be injected with the Virus X vaccine against Disease X, a name coined by the World Health Organization (WHO) for an unknown pathogen predicted to be a new pandemic threat.

In a statement on Facebook today, the MOH said the claim was incorrect and irresponsible.

“The claim can create negative perceptions about frontline healthcare workers, especially nurses who have dedicated their services to the country,” the statement said.

As such, the MOH also advised the public to refrain from sharing such false information as it can cause public anxiety.

Members of the public are also encouraged to verify the authenticity of news before sharing it, using reliable fact-checking platforms like sebenarnya.my.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KPJ Johor Specialist Hospital (KPJ Johor) and KPJ Healthcare University (KPJU) successfully performed bilateral cochlear implant surgery on an eight-year-old girl at the hospital on Sept 21.

In a statement today, KPJ Johor said the surgery was performed by KPJ Johor ENT surgeon Associate Prof Dr Azida Zainal Anuar and KPJU vice chancellor Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Lokman Saim using Cochlear technology from the United States.

“KPJ Johor and KPJU share expertise in the field of otolaryngology, and this is the second successful surgery conducted in 20 years, after the first one was performed on a child in 2003,” said KPJ Johor.

In the same statement, Dr Azida said that the family of the girl made the decision to proceed with cochlear implant surgery due to the lack of progress in the child’s speech development despite prior use of hearing aids.

“A congenitally deaf child can undergo cochlear implant surgery as early as one year old or before three years old to ensure proper speech development.

“Cochlear implants are the best option for those with more severe hearing loss when hearing aids prove ineffective in helping them to hear,” she said.

According to Dr Azida, after the surgery, the child is required to undergo intensive speech therapy to improve their language comprehension.

She also suggested that parents bring their babies for a neonatal hearing screening so that any potential hearing impairments can be addressed promptly.

A cochlear implant is an electronic device that is surgically implanted in the head to help people with sensorineural hearing loss hear.

The function of the cochlear implant is different from that of a hearing aid, in which the hearing aid is used to amplify the sound, while the cochlear implant helps to replace the function of the damaged inner ear to process sound and send signals to the brain.

According to the Social Welfare Department’s statistics, more than 5,000 children between the ages of less than six and 18 have been registered as hearing impaired as of Jan 31 this year.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

The government is targeting to vaccinate 40,000 pets in Sarawak this year in an effort to curb the spread of rabies.

Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Chan Foong Hin said as of Sept 7, 27,668 pets in the state had been vaccinated.

“A total of 949 cases of rabies have been recorded in Sarawak since 2017, of which 72 cases have infected humans and resulted in 65 fatalities,” he told reporters after officiating the World Rabies Day 2023 celebration themed ‘Rabies: All For One, One Health For All’ at the Kuala Lumpur Veterinary Hospital today.

Meanwhile, Chan said preventive measures to curb the spread of the disease include encouraging pet owners to register for anti-rabies vaccination and have their pets sterilised.

“The ministry, through the Department of Veterinary Services, in collaboration with various ministries, departments, and agencies, has been working hard to prevent, control, and eradicate the disease since 2015,” he said.

He said all parties are responsible for ensuring the government’s desire to eradicate rabies completely by 2030 is realised.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Heart-related diseases are among the leading causes of death in Malaysia and they contributed 17 per cent of the 18,515 recorded deaths in 2020, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan.

He said expenses due to heart-related diseases also burden the country, based on the report titled ‘The Direct Healthcare Cost of Non-communicable Diseases in Malaysia’, published in 2022, that in 2017, it was estimated that RM3.93 billion out of a total of RM9.65 billion in healthcare used to treat heart patients.

“The cost is expected to continue to increase if appropriate measures are not taken to control and prevent the disease,” he said in a statement today in conjunction with the World Heart Day today.

In conjunction with this year’s World Heart Day, he said advocacy is focused on the importance of ensuring a healthy heart without any complications and therefore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is working to strengthen prevention activities as well as early detection of risk factors so that early intervention and treatment can be provided.

Dr Muhammad Radzi said one of the main efforts undertaken was to introduce the National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI) in July 2022 which targeted 1.5 million Malaysians.

He said the screening activities were carried out at all health clinics through Peka B40 or through community programmes including Komuniti Sihat Perkasa Negara (KOSPEN) and screening programmes from home to home through the MADANI Afiat Programme.

“Since it was launched in July 2022, a total of 2,128,048 individuals have been screened of which a total of 1,111,568 individuals have been screened up to Sept 27, this year,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Cambodia has highlighted its health achievements in post-Covid era at the High-Level Meeting of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on “Universal Health Coverage: Expanding our ambition for health and well-being in a post-Covid-19 world” in New York on Sept. 21.

In his address, H.E. Ouch Borith, Senior Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia, affirmed Cambodia’s steadfast commitment to universal health coverage as a pivotal pillar of sustainable development.

He highlighted significant strides in Cambodia’s healthcare system, including expanded infrastructure, a bolstered healthcare workforce, financial protection mechanisms for all, and strengthened primary healthcare, ensuring 80 percent of the population enjoys healthcare access within a 5-kilometre radius. As of 2023, Cambodia has 1,136 health centres and 122 hospitals.

The Senior Minister emphasised Cambodia’s active engagement in disease prevention and control, notably eliminating malaria in 2020, and making commendable progress in reducing HIV prevalence. Cambodia is intensifying its disease surveillance systems to effectively detect and respond to climate-sensitive diseases.

H.E. OUCH Borith reaffirmed Cambodia’s readiness to collaborate with the UN member states, UN agencies, and stakeholders to advance global health goals in a post-Covid world. He underscored that health serves not only as an objective but also a cornerstone upon which we can construct a fairer and more prosperous world.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse