Mumps: Patients advised to isolate themselves to prevent spread of disease

SHAH ALAM: Those who have been infected by the mumps virus are advised to temporarily isolate themselves and avoid contact with other people to prevent further spread of the disease.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said although most patients would recover from mumps within a few weeks, the virus could easily be spread to others, especially children who were not vaccinated.
He said there were 10 types of vaccines listed in the National Immunisation Programme, including for mumps, and it was hoped that the public would not neglect the importance of getting the vaccines at any health clinic.
"Parents are advised not to neglect immunisation for their children as it is the best prevention of infectious diseases, including mumps," he told reporters after launching the Medical Assistant Profession Blueprint 2016-2030 (6P) in conjunction with the National Medical Assistant Day 2018 celebration here today.
On March 2, media reported that 70 students and three teachers of Sekolah Menengah Agama Kuala Lipis, Pahang, had been infected with the mumps virus since Feb 20.
Mumps is a contagious viral infection spread by bodily fluids that causes uncomfortable symptoms like swelling of the salivary glands, fever, body aches, and fatigue.
On the 6P blueprint, Dr Noor Hisham said it was aimed at empowering the medical assistant profession for the next 14 years.
He said as the frontliners in the health service, the duties of medical assistants had become more and more important as they also had vital roles to play in the secondary and tertiary care.
"Through the 6P blueprint, we will improve the profession and expand the roles of medical assistants by encouraging cooperation with other medical staff to complement each other and become a team of healthcare experts," he said.
Dr Noor Hisham said the initiatives taken by some medical assistant in providing creative and innovative ideas, such as in inventing new tools and equipment to improve the health service, had been seen as a potential catalyst to further develop the profession, besides encouraging medical assistants to further their studies to the highest level possible.
The blueprint is also expected to give a paradigm shift to the profession and reflect the actual roles of medical assistants in line with the National Transformation 2050 (TN50) initiative, he added.
For the record, there are 17,000 medical assistants currently serving at public hospitals in the country. — Bernama