PETALING JAYA: The country will receive mpox vaccines distributed through the Covid-19 Asean Response Fund, says Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
“We will take delivery of Tecovirimat Antiviral (TPOXX) and MVA-BN vaccine for mpox,” said the Health Minister in two brief X posts yesterday.
“TPOXX is used in the treatment of mpox, especially those who have acute infection and a weak immune system,” he added.
Last Tuesday, Dzulkefly’s Indonesian counterpart Budi Gunadi Sadikin announced that the republic has ordered thousands of doses of mpox vaccines from Denmark amid escalating global concerns over the viral infection.The World Health Organisation has declared that an outbreak of mpox, a viral infection that spreads through close contact, represents a global health emergency for the second time in two years.Dzulkefly earlier announced that the Health Ministry, working with operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd, will tighten screenings for travellers entering the country through KLIA Terminal 1 to mitigate the risk of mpox transmission.
The government had activated a special operations room from Aug 16 at the National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre to monitor and prevent any possible spread of mpox in coordination with other Asean countries.Last week, the Medical Device Authority (MDA) warned that mpox test kits are not for public use, with MDA chief executive officer Dr P. Muralitharan saying that only authorised personnel are allowed to handle such test kits and that any public sale of these test kits is illegal.
“The test kit is only approved for handling by authorised professionals such as licensed medical practitioners and not by the public,” said Dr Muralitharan in a statement last Thursday.
“Any sale and purchase of the kit in pharmacies, stores or ecommerce platforms will be a violation of the Medical Device Act 2012,” he added.
He also said that if the kit is not properly handled, there is a possibility that the results obtained may not be accurate and enable virus transmission among the public.“The public is advised not to buy any mpox test kit or self-test using such kits.
“Please report to the MDA feedback management system at femes.mda.gov.my,” he added.
On Aug 28, the Health Ministry said 13 laboratories in the country are capable of conducting mpox screening.
