PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has never imported any live animals or associated products from Wuhan, China, which is now seeing the emergence of a new pneumonia-causing coronavirus strain, said the Veterinary Services Department (DVS).
DVS director-general, Datuk Dr Quaza Nizamuddin Hassan Nizam, said people can rest assured that the poultry, meat and seafood in Malaysia are safe for consumption.
“We have never imported live animals, meat or animal products from Wuhan, ” he said yesterday when asked to comment on the latest development in China after its health authorities confirmed that the new coronavirus originated from wildlife.
China’s disease control and prevention centre chief, Gao Fu, was quoted in the media as saying that the wild animals were illegally sold at a seafood market in Wuhan.
Meanwhile Health director-general, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, advised those who had visited China over the last fortnight to seek treatment immediately if they feel unwell.
“Malaysians who have returned from China over the last 14 days, and tourists from China who are suffering from fever or coughing, should immediately seek treatment, ” he said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) held a meeting in Geneva yesterday to discuss the emergence of 2019-nCoV, a strain of virus never detected in humans before.
Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe ailments related to the respiratory tract.
WHO had stated that the novel CoV strain could also be of zoonotic (animal) origin.
The Japanese Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry recently confirmed that a patient, who had travelled to Wuhan, had tested positive for the new CoV.
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