15 Dikesan Positif Jangkitan Bakteria Melioidosis, Leptospirosis

KUANTAN: Sehingga kini 15 orang disahkan dijangkiti dengan bakteria Melioidosis dan Leptospirosis yang dikesan di Pusat Rekreasi Lubuk Yu, Maran, baru-baru ini.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kerajaan Tempatan dan Kesihatan Pahang, Datuk Hoh Khai Mun, berkata daripada jumlah itu enam orang meninggal dunia, dua sudah dibenarkan keluar wad, satu kes dipantau di rumah, manakala enam lagi masih dirawat di wad. "Kes yang masih dirawat di wad adalah satu kes di Hospital Jengka, Hospital Selayang (1 kes), Kuantan Medical Centre (1), Hospital Temerloh (2) dan Hospital Bentong (1)," katanya dalam satu persidangan akhbar di sini, hari ini.

Katanya semua yang dirawat kini berada dalam keadaan stabil. Beliau berkata, daripada 15 kes itu, lima disahkan sebagai kes melioidosis, tiga kes disahkan melioidosis dan leptospirosis, manakala selebihnya masih dalam siasatan.

Enam penduduk kampung yang meninggal dunia itu merupakan antara mereka yang terlibat dalam operasi mencari dan menyelamat seorang mangsa lemas di Hutan Lipur Lubuk Yu, Maran, Pahang antara 26 dan 30 Jun lalu, yang dilaporkan maut akibat jangkitan bakteria leptospirosis (air kencing tikus) dan melioidosis (bakteria disebabkan air dan tanah) kira-kira seminggu selepas operasi, secara berperingkat.

Hoh berkata selain 15 kes itu, ada enam kes lagi yang dikategorikan sebagai "Patient Under Investigation" (PUI) iaitu kumpulan mereka yang tidak dikategori sebagai terdedah mengikut kes definisi, tetapi pernah berada di Lubuk Yu. Katanya kes-kes PUI itu melibatkan empat pesakit yang kini dirawat di Hospital Jengka, dua di Hospital Gleneagles manakala seorang lagi sudah dibenarkan keluar wad.

Sementara itu, beliau berkata keadaan kesihatan 105 orang yang turut terbabit dalam operasi mencari dan menyelamat berkenaan kini dipantau oleh Jabatan Kesihatan Pahang sepanjang masa. Hoh berkata mereka akan segera dimasukkan ke hospital jika dikesan mempunyai tanda-tanda jangkitan seperti demam, muntah, sakit sendi, sakit otot, sesak nafas dan cirit-birit.

Beliau seterusnya meminta penduduk yang tinggal berhampiran dengan pusat rekreasi itu agar mendapatkan rawatan segera di klinik jika mempunyai tanda-tanda jangkitan, dan katanya sebagai langkah berjaga-jaga, pusat rekreasi itu sudah ditutup untuk pemeriksaan. - BERNAMA

Six die of leptospirosis after rescue ops

MARAN July 10 — Six villagers have died of leptospirosis and melioidosis within a week of joining in the search for a drowning victim in the Lubuk Yu recreational forest near here, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai revealed today.

He identified them as Azizam Abdullah, 58, Timothy Hoo Seng Heng, 29, Lim Sin Lai, 55, Mohd Ali Abdullah, 60, Zakaria Ayub, 52, and Zainal Abidin Ismail, 56. Two of them died on July 9 and one each on July 8, July 7, July 6 and July 3, he said, adding that four of them died at the Sultan Ahmad Shah Hospital in Temerloh and two at their homes.
"The six became ill a week after participating in the search and rescue operation and suffered from fever, cough, muscle aches and diarrhoea,” he told reporters after attending a briefing on the incident, here.

Also present at the news conference was Pahang director of health Datuk Dr Rosnah Ismail.
Liow said seven other people were under treatment, three of them at the Temerloh hospital, two at Jengka Hospital and one each at Selayang Hospital and Kuantan Medical Centre. He said the 13 were among 83 people comprising 56 search and rescue personnel and 27 villagers who were involved in an operation to look for drowning victim Mohd Azhar Azizam, 28, between June 26 and 30. Mohd Azhar”s body was recovered on June 30.

Liow advised the people not to panic, saying the bacteria was not contagious.
"Studies show that the bacteria is not contagious and that only those involved in the search and rescue operation were affected,” he said, adding that all of them had been administered preliminary treatment as a precaution. He said death only occurred in cases where treatment was administered late.

Family members of the dead persons did not display symptoms of the disease, he added. Liow said the villagers must have contracted the bacteria when they camped in Lubuk Yu during the operation until the recovery of Mohd Azhar”s body.

He said the recreational area had been closed to the public pending the outcome of tests on soil and water samples. "Leptospirosis and melioidosis are endemic in Malaysia and in the tropics. People must exercise caution when picnicking in recreational areas,” he said. — BERNAMA