Malaysia Records First Monkeypox Case For 2024, Health Ministry Urges Vigilance

The patient showed symptoms of fever, cough and sore throat before the rashes appeared.

Pic for illustration purposes only/iStockimages

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Alarms had been sounded globally over the monkeypox (mpox) threat but Malaysia has not recorded a new case this year – until yesterday.

The Health Ministry confirmed today that one active mpox case has been detected on 16 September.

The patient, a Malaysian, began showing symptoms of fever, sore throat, and cough on 11 September. A rash appeared on his body the very next day.

“Of the 58 suspected mpox cases referred to the Ministry of Health throughout this year, one (1) case was confirmed positive for mpox clade II on 16 September 2024. With that, all 10 cases in Malaysia since 26 July 2023 have been identified as clade II,” the Health Ministry stated.

The patient, who had no history of travel abroad, is currently in isolation and in stable condition.

The virus was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for the second time on August 14, 2024 by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The Ministry of Health is using various media and social media channels to inform the public, encouraging increased preparedness and better self-health practices.

High-risk individuals showing mpox symptoms should seek immediate medical attention at the nearest health facility, avoid direct contact with suspected or confirmed infected individuals and maintain good hygiene, such as washing hands with soap and water or using disinfectants.

Medical practitioners are advised to be vigilant when treating individuals with rashes and blisters, particularly in high-risk groups.

Suspected mpox cases should be referred to laboratories offering mpox virus detection testing and reported to the nearest District Health Office (PKD) via the e-notification system for further investigation, prevention, and control measures.

Kenyataan Media Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia

Situasi Terkini Mpox di Malaysia

Daripada 58 kes disyaki mpox yang telah dirujuk kepada KKM sepanjang tahun ini, satu (1) kes telah disahkan positif mpox clade Il pada 16 September 2024.

Bagi meningkatkan kesiapsiagaan dan… pic.twitter.com/jO37eT55NM
— KKMalaysia🇲🇾🩺❤️ (@KKMPutrajaya) September 17, 2024

Social media broke the news first?

A few days ago, an account claiming to be a doctor on Twitter posted about a patient who asked him how much would it cost to test for mpox.

The account @noki2024 shared two photos allegedly of the patient’s hand and foot which had several bumps.

According to the post, the patient had visited a “sauna” and later discovered the rashes popping up.

While the tweet had gained significant attention at the time, many criticised the account for sharing a patient’s information and for mpox fearmongering.

The tweet was later deleted.

With the Health Ministry’s announcement on Malaysia’s first mpox case for 2024 today, someone asked @noki2024 if this was the same case as the one he suspected several days ago to which he replied “yup”.