Pig Farmers, Penang Govt Urged to Collaborate Against Japanese Encephalitis
MALAYSIA - There should be a joint effort between the Penang government and pig farmers in the state to check against any major outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Parti Cinta Malaysia vice-president Datuk Huan Cheng Guan said.
2 July 2014
2 minute read
He said the authorities must be on high alert and be proactive to check against the threat of JE to Penangites.
"The state administration and government agencies at both local and federal levels should map out an action plan on the matter.
"There is a need to act early to prevent JE from threatening Penang," Huan told the New Straits Times.
He was commenting on the country's latest JE victim, a 12-year-boy who contracted the disease while out on camping near his school in Tasek Gelugor on mainland Penang.
Incidentally, the area is also home to 84 pig farms, with more than 100,000 pigs, the biggest in Penang.
Muhammad Ammar Muqrish Zulkifli from Padang Serai, Kedah has since been cleared of JE.
Doctors at Pantai Hospital confirmed that he was now out of danger and was now suffering from complications caused by the Culex mosquito-borne disease.
The complications include fever, seizures and slight brain damage.
The boy could also suffer from speech impediment.
