KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- The Malaysian Health Ministry has sent two virologists to the northern state of Kelantan to investigate the death of two teenage girls who were feared to be killed by Japanese Encephalitis (JE), local authorities said Thursday.
The study of the two experts from the Institute of Medical Research and National Public Health Laboratory would help the health ministry to work out strategies to control the virus, Deputy Director-General of Health Shafie Ouyub was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.
Shafie made the remarks in Kelantan before being briefed on the JE situation by Kelantan Health Director Ahmad Razin Ahmad Maher.
According to local reports, the county of Tanah Merah has reported one confirmed JE case and four suspicious cases. Norhayati Awang, 27, has been confirmed to be infected with JE virus. She is now warded at a local hospital.
Last Thursday and this Tuesday, two 13-year-old students, Siti Mardiana Mohd Romli and Hasnira Akmal Hussin, died after showing JE symptoms.
Though tests showed Siti Mardiana died of acute neurological syndrome, her father, 34, and her five-year-old brother showed JE symptoms. The death cause of Hasnira Akmal Hussin has not been disclosed yet.
Health Director-General Ismail Merican will issue a full statement on this matter Friday in Kuala Lumpur, Shafie told reporters.
The JE virus is transmitted by culex mosquitoes. The JE occurs when the culex mosquito bites an animal infected with the virus, usually a pig, before biting humans, causing the virus to enter the blood stream of the final host (humans).
Meanwhile, Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the Veterinary Services Department had taken blood samples from different animals in Tanah Merah to determine whether they carry the virus.
If domestic animals are found to be carrying JE virus, they will be quarantined and culled, said Muhyiddin.
Kelantan reported the last JE case in 1995. Enditem
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