Three leptospirosis cases confirmed in Kelantan

JOHOR BARU: The Health Ministry confirmed three latest leptospirosis cases in Kota Baru yesterday.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said six patients have been admitted to the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital, Kelantan. Three were positive upon examination while the others were still pending medical reports.
Initial investigation showed that the three may have been infected with the disease in their home town Tanah Merah after the floods, Subramaniam said after attending Pongal Muafakat Festival 2017 in Skudai today.
The health minister urged the public not to panic as leptospirosis is caused by dirty foods and poor personal hygiene.
"In order to avoid being infected, we must practice good personal hygiene," he reminded.
He also confirmed there were no leptospirosis cases in the Johor floods which ended recently.
He said Meliodosis is another disease which spreads easily after the floods, but there was no sudden increase in the disease.
On another issue, Subra said the independent panel report over Johor Baru's Hospital Sultanah Aminah will be ready in a month's time.
He said however, the health ministry already received a report from the Fire and Rescue Department on the cause of the fire.
He said the report has proven that the voltage of the florescent lamps in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was too high, causing the light capacitor to come in contact with combustible materials lying underneath, sparking a fire.
The deadly blaze which broke out at the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) on Oct 25 last year, killed six patients and triggered the evacuation of hundreds of others.