Another JE case detected in Penang

A new case of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) has been reported in the south-west district of Penang, says the state Health Department.

In a statement, besides the new case, it said there were two other previous cases in Seberang Perai Selatan (SPS) involving two children which were confirmed by laboratory tests.

There are no further details of the new victim in the south-west district confirmed to have JE.

”In Penang, for the period between January and July 7, there were three JE cases which were confirmed through laboratory tests.

“There were three other suspected JE cases reported to the state but we are still waiting for the results of laboratory tests,” the statement said yesterday.

It stated that since the disease was spread by the Culex mosquito, fumigation and fogging would be carried out in the affected locations to destroy larvae at breeding sites and adult mosquitoes.

The state Health Department advised the public to get immediate treatment for fever and symptoms of JE such as headaches, fits or neurological changes.

On June 27, the two children aged two and eight were found to be infected.

One of them is still being treated at Hospital Pulau Pinang and both are in stable condition.

Meanwhile, in Washington, the United States, a United Nations report said further outbreaks would emerge unless governments took active measures to prevent other zoonotic diseases from crossing into the human population, reported the Anadolu Agency. Covid-19, Ebola, MERS, West Nile and Rift Valley fever are caused by viruses that have jumped from animal hosts to humans.

The report is a joint effort by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Livestock Research Institute.

“The science is clear that if we keep exploiting wildlife and destroying our ecosystems, then we can expect to see a steady stream of these diseases jumping from animals to humans in the years ahead,” said UNEP executive director Inger Andersen.