KUALA LUMPUR – The Health Ministry, through its Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC), is ready to handle any possible outbreak or pandemic in the near future, said Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
Allaying public fears amid the recent announcement of the possible sinister-like pandemic dubbed “Disease X”, she said the CPRC has continued to monitor any outbreak overseas from time to time.
“Recently, there was a reported outbreak of the Nipah virus in Kerala, India, which concerned the public because of those travelling from there to here.
“The moment we were alerted to it, we immediately mobilised our Public Health and Safety division (and CPRC) to promptly investigate the cause of the outbreak.
“If the cause is due to pigs and bats, for instance, we will continue to monitor the situation and identify fruit orchards that are located close to pig farms.
“In that case, we will work closely with the Veterinary Services Department (DVS), because DVS will be the one who goes to the field to investigate and determine whether the outbreak has sparked or spread in that vicinity,” she said, adding that the reaction would be similar to situations such as haze and even climate change.
In the case of Disease X, Dr Zaliha said it was an alert issued by the World Health Organisation, as it was a possibility that could occur in the next few years.
“What is Disease X? No one knows. What’s the origin of the virus? No one knows either. Hence, it’s called Disease X.”
Yesterday, Health Director-General Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said Disease X is expected to be as infectious as measles and possibly as deadly as Ebola, even though it has not yet been discovered.
In a statement, he mentioned that Disease X could be transmitted from various origins, including zoonotic – an infectious disease that is transmitted from animals to humans.
He added that the infectivity rate of Disease X is expected to be high as contact between humans and animals increases, coupled with the ease of travel between countries.
However, he said that even though the characteristics of Disease X have not yet been identified and the timing of its occurrence is unknown, health experts have expressed concerns about its impact.
Disease X is a name coined by the World Health Organisation in 2018 for an unknown pathogen with the potential to cause a global outbreak. – October 6, 2023