Tackling virus outbreaks

TACKLING a novel virus outbreak is not unfamiliar to Malaysian doctors. Malaysians at large may overlook the 1999 Nipah virus outbreak in Malaysia but any medical student from Universiti Malaya (UM) who walks the very hallway where the Nipah virus was first discovered knows better than to forget its rich history.

Almost two decades ago, clinicians in Malaysia were challenged with a deadly zoonotic virus that claimed more than 100 lives which led to a massive pig-culling effort. In fact, the current Dean of UM’s Faculty of Medicine, Prof Datuk Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman herself was a front-line Infectious Disease physician treating patients infected with Nipah virus at that time. Additionally, many prominent doctors who were awarded the prestigious Merdeka Award for solving the scientific conundrum of Nipah virus are now senior consultants at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre.