Ebola in Malaysia: Nine cases found negative

The 2014 Ebola epidemic is regarded as one of the largest in this century, affecting multiple countries in West Africa such as Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is highly infectious and rapidly fatal as its death rate is reported to be almost 90%.

Ebola virus spreads via droplets, which means it is carried by infected body fluid. Ebola can’t survive without fluid vehicle, such as saliva, sweat, blood, feces and vomitus.

The vast majority of data on transmission of EVD shows it spreads when infected person’s body fluid come into direct contact with another person’s mucous membrane or broken skin.

Although there hasn’t been a lot of researches whether Ebola spreads from innate surfaces, data available suggests the virus can survive on surface. There’s only one confirmed case of a person getting Ebola from an object or material which happened in 2000 in Ebola outbreak in Gulu, Uganda. The said patient who had never been directly exposed to anyone with Ebola contracted the disease after sleeping using a blanket that has been used by one Ebola patient.

The Ebola virus can be relatively eliminated with heat, alcohol-based product and bleaching solution.

The concern of community is the extent to which the major EVD outbreak can occur outside West Africa. World Health Organization (WHO) recently stated that a major Ebola outbreak isn’t likely to happen outside West Africa.

When a case turn up in country outside West Africa, as happened recently in US and Spain, the chances of fullblown outbreak are very small. As long as proper training has taken place, country with robust health care system are quite well-equipped to manage the infectious disease. That’s what had happened in Senegal and Nigeria which are now officially declared free from EVD.

Malaysia is also involved with simulation exercise organized by WHO. Ministry of Health has ordered that all passengers arriving from or through Ebola hit countries to be screened for signs and symptoms of EVD at the airport.

All travellers entering Malaysia from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone will now be subjected to active monitoring for Ebola like symptoms for 21 days (incubation period of disease) upon arrival. All suspected cases need to be quarantined for further investigation and management at dedicated hospital with trained healthcare worker. Improvements are also being made to EVD management guidelines in hospitals, especially those related to aspects of reducing the risk of infection to medical personnel handling any case of EVD.

So far in Malaysia, there have been nine suspected cases but diagnostic tests conducted on clinical samples of these patients found all cases were negative for EVD.


Dr. Syarifah Aisyah Syed Abd Halim
I-Medik Activist

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