PETALING JAYA: More funding needs to be allocated for research to identify new antivirals and vaccines that are capable of preventing emerging epidemic viral diseases.
Monash University Professor of Microbiology, Prof Sunil Kumar Lal said, at present not enough is being done to ensure the country has the necessary antivirals before an outbreak happens
He said the need for more research on new vaccinations was pertinent to combat the ever-changing viruses that cause influenza and acute respiratory diseases, particularly in light of the recent Influenza A outbreak in the country and the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China.
“I feel initiatives are not as strong as they should be concerning emerging infections. Ideally, more funds should be pumped into conducting research.
“It has to be an ongoing process. Money shouldn’t be invested only when an outbreak happens, but before it does,” he told theSun yesterday.
He said this lack of will by politicians in many countries in Asia was one of the reasons the region continues to be a hotbed for new and emerging viruses.
According to Sunil, who is a specialist on host-virus infections, viruses are continually evolving and becoming more complex at a faster rate than humans, which poses a major challenge for researchers and drug-developers in developing the necessary antivirals.
In a statement on Tuesday night, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there has been a continued increase in the number of outpatients and those warded for influenza-like illnesses and severe acute respiratory infections (Sari) compared with previous weeks.
He said there has been a total of 186 cumulative SARI outbreaks as of Jan 18 this year compared with just 11 during the same period last year.
Noor Hisham added the majority of acute respiratory tract infections cases recorded by the ministry since the start of the year involved those in educational institutions, as the influenza viruses spread easier in crowded places like schools.
Meanwhile, MCA Social Development Committee chairman Datuk Dr Lee Hong Tee took a swipe at the Health Ministry claiming it was being inefficient in addressing the issue.
“The H1N1 has been around for over a month, yet the ministry appears not to be in step given the current developments.”
