Children deaths not linked to 1997 viral outbreak
Ng Boon HooiPublished: Apr 19, 2001 2:15 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
A virologist from Sarawak today stated that the six fatal cases involving children below five years old reported at Miri Hospital since January did not have any connection with the viral outbreak of 1997 which claimed 31 lives.
She agreed with Health Ministry director-general Dr. Abu Bakar Suleiman's prognosis that a certain virus is causing the illness, and that while "researchers have known quite a lot about the virus, this is still not the right time to reveal it".
The virologist, who is well known internationally but requested to remain anonymous, told malaysiakini that the authorities had identify the particular strain of the enterovirus that had caused the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFM) disease this year.
She pointed out that the increase of the HFM disease in Sarawak recently - with 482 cases reported in the state so far - was not a sudden thing as the authorities had been looking out for it, and hence acted quickly to counter it.
"HFM disease is a common disease of childhood and happens in most years. While in 1998 there was a small outbreak, but with only 65 cases in the whole of last year, it was negligible.
"So this year there had been a lot of susceptible children who had not the opportunity to get exposed in 1998 and 1999, indicating the level of immunity in the children is low this year," she said.
However, she said that they are not sure about the fatal syndrome, the researchers are still investigating the six deaths, which had revived public fears of another 1997-type outbreak.
In mid-1997, an outbreak blamed on the Coxsackie virus took the lives of 31 children under five years old, with 911 treated at hospitals and clinics.
A total of 3,334 children were treated nationwide for this viral infection. The outbreak also put the country on medical alert, forcing the temporary closure of nurseries and swimming pools in Sarawak.
"The measures for prevention recommended by the Ministry of Health are appropriate," said the medical expert. ([#1]"Fears of Coxsackie return to Sarawak"[/#], March 28)
She said that the 1997 outbreak was most probably caused by Enterovirus 71 and Adenovirus, but there were many other viruses circulating at the same time, like Coxsackie A16, Japanese encephalitis and dengue.
Concerning the cause of the death of the two children in Miri, she said that some doctors and medical professionals still could not agree whether the killer virus is the same one which caused the HFM disease, and the Health Ministry is still regarding the deaths as "an open case".
She stated that the government has been monitoring the situation in Sarawak since 1997.
"If nobody is monitoring the situation and studying HFM disease, then you won't know that there is a rise in these cases. So the idea that this is only happening in Sarawak is probably erroneous," she added.
"We in Sarawak know what is happening, it doesn't mean that elsewhere where there is no detailed monitoring, nothing is going on."
She agreed with Health Ministry director-general Dr. Abu Bakar Suleiman's prognosis that a certain virus is causing the illness, and that while "researchers have known quite a lot about the virus, this is still not the right time to reveal it".
The virologist, who is well known internationally but requested to remain anonymous, told malaysiakini that the authorities had identify the particular strain of the enterovirus that had caused the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFM) disease this year.
She pointed out that the increase of the HFM disease in Sarawak recently - with 482 cases reported in the state so far - was not a sudden thing as the authorities had been looking out for it, and hence acted quickly to counter it.
"HFM disease is a common disease of childhood and happens in most years. While in 1998 there was a small outbreak, but with only 65 cases in the whole of last year, it was negligible.
"So this year there had been a lot of susceptible children who had not the opportunity to get exposed in 1998 and 1999, indicating the level of immunity in the children is low this year," she said.
However, she said that they are not sure about the fatal syndrome, the researchers are still investigating the six deaths, which had revived public fears of another 1997-type outbreak.
In mid-1997, an outbreak blamed on the Coxsackie virus took the lives of 31 children under five years old, with 911 treated at hospitals and clinics.
A total of 3,334 children were treated nationwide for this viral infection. The outbreak also put the country on medical alert, forcing the temporary closure of nurseries and swimming pools in Sarawak.
"The measures for prevention recommended by the Ministry of Health are appropriate," said the medical expert. ([#1]"Fears of Coxsackie return to Sarawak"[/#], March 28)
She said that the 1997 outbreak was most probably caused by Enterovirus 71 and Adenovirus, but there were many other viruses circulating at the same time, like Coxsackie A16, Japanese encephalitis and dengue.
Concerning the cause of the death of the two children in Miri, she said that some doctors and medical professionals still could not agree whether the killer virus is the same one which caused the HFM disease, and the Health Ministry is still regarding the deaths as "an open case".
She stated that the government has been monitoring the situation in Sarawak since 1997.
"If nobody is monitoring the situation and studying HFM disease, then you won't know that there is a rise in these cases. So the idea that this is only happening in Sarawak is probably erroneous," she added.
"We in Sarawak know what is happening, it doesn't mean that elsewhere where there is no detailed monitoring, nothing is going on."
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