Sabah takes precautionary measures to prevent spread of polio virus

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 9 — Sabah Health and People’s Wellbeing Minister Datuk Frankie Poon Ming Fung said the State Health Department had been conducting inspections around the homes of children infected with polio virus to prevent it from spreading.

He said as of December 5, 646 individuals had been examined and none had been diagnosed with acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), a proxy for poliomyelitis in the area.

“Investigations to identify the cause of the infection are ongoing including the collection of stool samples for testing from close contacts of children and environmental samples to detect the presence of the virus.

“The provision of additional immunisation in the area where the case has been detected has been made and are being extended to high-risk areas to prevent it from spreading,” he said in a statement here, today.

Poon said the Health Department was also monitoring the presence of polio virus through sewage water samples at six selected plants but no virus had been detected in the samples.

He said local residents were advised to seek treatment immediately if they have acute flaccid paralysis symptoms. — Bernama