KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry's Disease Control Division is closely monitoring any cases showing signs of the mysterious pneumonia in the country.
The ministry in a statement said investigations are still being carried out by the Chinese health authority and they are not yet able to confirm what pathogen is causing the illness which appeared to have started in Wuhan, China.
On Sunday, 59 patients were admitted to the hospital diagnosed with unknown viral pneumonia symptoms in the province with seven in critical condition.
“We are communicating with the World Health Organisation (WHO) for any new updates.
“There are many potential causes of viral pneumonia, many of which are more common than the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus.
“WHO is closely monitoring this event and will share more details with us in due course,” the statement read.
The ministry has taken measures to monitor the strain such as paying close attention to any influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) nationwide.
“There will be checks on the use of antiviral drugs in all states.
“There should be an immediate notice to the ministry by each state if there is a case showing symptoms of viral pneumonia and if the patient had any history of visiting Wuhan.
“The ministry is also monitoring those entering the country by ensuring visitors and individuals have gone through existing body temperature screening tests.
“If they are found to have fever symptoms, there will be a need to examine the person at the quarantine centre and if diagnosed with the viral disease the person must be referred to the nearest health facility based on the screening test procedure,” the statement read.
It is learned that SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome have been excluded as the cause of the pneumonia cases found in Wuhan.