The Health Ministry has taken precautionary measure by beefing up control at all entry points to ensure the prevention of enterovirus 71 (EV-71) found in Cambodia.

Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said the ministry had taken the necessary steps to curb the virus from spreading in Malaysia, by sending a medical team as observers to monitor the developments in the country.

“According to reports we have received, it has been proven that the virus (EV-71) was found in the country (Cambodia) but some of the deaths that occurred were due to dengue as well,” he told reporters after visiting the Jasin Hospital yesterday.

EV-71 causes different diseases of varying intensity, which include acute respiratory disease, polio-like acute flaccid paralysis and the deadly brainstem encephalitis and the often mild HFMD, characterised as a self-limiting illness presenting with fever and accompanied by skin lesions or rashes.

Proper disposal of baby diapers or human waste, strict personal hygiene and regular hand washing prevent viral spread, since the virus is known to be excreted in the feces as it is found in human intestines.

Thus, parents and day-care personnel are urged to clean and disinfect toys and teaching tools that are easily shared with other children, to prevent infections, as there are no known effective drugs or vaccines for EV-71.

Liow said the ministry had also taken various measures to curb the spread of the virus that was sometimes found in Sarawak, including closing nurseries and kindergartens temporarily if any child was affected.

- Bernama