Six Students In Kota Tinggi Confirmed Having TB

JOHOR BAHRU, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- Six school students in the Kota Tinggi district have been confirmed to have Tuberculosis (TB) as a result of screening of close contacts carried out by the Ministry of Health (MOH), but the situation is reported to be under control with all students involved currently receiving treatment and close monitoring.

Johor State Education and Information Committee chairman Aznan Tamin said the confirmed cases involved four male students and two female students, all of whom have been ordered to undergo quarantine according to the prescribed health procedures.

He said so far, no school closure orders have been issued by the health authorities as the spread of the disease is under control.

"MOH has carried out close contact screening and taken appropriate steps to ensure that the spread of the disease is fully contained," he said in a statement today.

According to him, the District Health Office (PKD) also went to the schools involved to hold a meeting and information session with the school management as a step to provide understanding about TB and the preventive measures that must be followed by students, teachers and parents.

Aznan said schools were also reminded to always comply with all guidelines and instructions issued by the Ministry of Health from time to time, especially involving aspects of school environment cleanliness and monitoring of students' health.

Meanwhile, he advised the public not to spread any unverified information or speculation regarding the case as it could cause concern and panic among the community.

"Any official information should be referred to the Ministry of Health statement or the official Johor State Government channel," he said.

He said the state government remained committed to ensuring the safety, health and welfare of students and school staff are always protected, in addition to continuing to work closely with the Ministry of Health and all relevant agencies to curb the spread of infectious diseases in the state.

Yesterday, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the cluster was detected on Jan 25, with 33 positive cases identified from screening of 804 close contacts as of Feb 4.

-- BERNAMA