PETALING JAYA: The rise in acute respiratory infections during the year-end and start of the new year period is common. It is, however, being monitored closely by the Health Ministry.
This comes in the wake of the usual increases in acute respiratory infections reported in other countries during the winter months.
“The increase in acute respiratory infections at the end of the year and beginning of the new year is an expected phenomenon in line with cases being reported in other countries, including China, during winter.
“The Health Ministry is constantly monitoring the situation from time to time, both in and out of the country, as a precautionary and preventive measure to contain the spread of infections,” the ministry said in a statement yesterday.
The ministry said this includes monitoring bacterial and viral infections which could result in Covid-19, influenza and other respiratory infections.
The ministry’s statement came in the wake of concerns raised by health authorities in several countries over the possibility of a new variant of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) emerging following reports of a recent spike in cases in China.
Health authorities in India are monitoring the situation closely, saying that there is no cause for panic while health authorities in China noted it is usual to see a rise in HMPV cases during the winter months.
HMPV is caused by a virus and results in flu-like symptoms.
On the HMPV situation in Malaysia, the ministry said that it is not a major illness in the country and does not require mandatory reporting under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342).
“HMPV is an infection of the respiratory tract due to the virus belonging to the Pneumoviridae family.
“Based on data from the public and hospital laboratories, 327 samples on HMPV tested positive in 2024 compared to 225 positive samples in 2023,” the ministry stated.
Meanwhile, the ministry said that the nation has been living with Covid-19 since July 15, 2024 with no Covid-19 deaths reported since April 25 last year.
At present, the ministry said that the Omicron and its sub-variants are still present in Malaysia.
“No new cases involving Omicron variants have been reported in the country as of Nov 24 till the end of last year,” added the ministry.
Based on the ministry’s records, a total of 100,666 Covid-19 cases were detected last year resulting in 28,171 hospital admissions and 57 deaths.
In comparison, a total of 202,962 Covid-19 cases were detected in 2023 resulting in 93,122 admissions and 441 deaths.
