26-8-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) Dr. Datuk Mohamad Radzi, the Director-General of Health, issued a statement today disclosing these cases. The first case was confirmed on July 26th and involves a foreign national who has been residing and working in Malaysia since April last year.
“He had traveled to a country reporting monkeypox cases before July 6, 2023, and returned to Malaysia on July 10, 2023,” Dr. Radzi explained.
He pointed out that this individual began exhibiting symptoms on July 19th, with blistering appearing on July 23rd. The patient has since been isolated and was discharged on August 10th after a full recovery with no complications. It is suspected that he contracted the virus overseas, specifically in a country with reported cases of monkeypox.
The second case is a contact of the first patient. This local male individual had been in close contact with the initial monkeypox case. He began experiencing symptoms while in quarantine.
“He has been isolated since July 23, 2023, and was diagnosed with monkeypox on July 29, 2023,” Dr. Radzi stated. The second patient is currently under quarantine and in good health.
Dr. Radzi emphasized that authorities have identified all contacts of the initial case and are closely monitoring their health. Besides these two cases, no one else has exhibited symptoms of monkeypox among the identified contacts.
Additionally, Dr. Radzi clarified that the second case does not have any close contacts of his own.
Furthermore, Dr. Radzi explained that monkeypox is an infection caused by the monkeypox virus, typically transmitted through close physical contact with individuals exhibiting symptoms of the disease.
“The incubation period for monkeypox symptoms to appear in a person is from 5 to 21 days from the day of contact with an infected individual,” Dr. Radzi added.
He advised all travelers arriving from countries reporting monkeypox cases to monitor their health daily for 21 days from their arrival in Malaysia, paying particular attention to symptoms of monkeypox infection.
“Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, fatigue, headache, and a rash, which usually starts on the face and then spreads to the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet before extending to other parts of the body. Patients may also experience fatigue, back or joint pain, muscle spasms, and enlarged lymph nodes,” Dr. Raz explained.
Dr. Radzi urged all healthcare professionals to remain vigilant and promptly report individuals who present with blistering symptoms, especially those considered high-risk.
He highlighted the importance of obtaining contact information for individuals displaying symptoms of monkeypox and sending swabs of blisters, oral swabs, and blood/serum samples to laboratories for monkeypox virus testing.
Currently, there are ten laboratories offering monkeypox testing services, eight of which are government labs, and two are private facilities.
Dr. Radzi emphasized that suspected monkeypox cases must be reported through the electronic reporting system to the nearest health office so that the district health department can initiate further investigations and control measures.
