QuickCheck: Will the MySejahtera App be used to send out monkeypox alerts?

THE MySejahtera App will be used to send monkeypox alerts to travellers entering the country.

Is this true?

Verdict:

TRUE

Starting on Friday (May 27), the MySejahtera App will be updated so that travellers coming into Malaysia will receive alerts concerning the illness.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said these travellers would be reminded to monitor for symptoms for 21 days as the incubation period for monkeypox was up to three weeks.

He added that the Health Ministry would increase its diagnostic capabilities to screen for monkeypox using a PCR test.

ALSO READ: QuickCheck: Is Malaysia at risk of a monkeypox outbreak?

"We will expand our capacity and our ability to test for monkeypox using PCR and other molecular testing," he told a virtual press conference at the sidelines of the World Health Assembly (WHA) at Geneva, Switzerland, on Thursday (May 26) evening.

So far, there have been no confirmed cases of monkeypox in Malaysia and the Health Ministry says it is taking these steps as a precautionary measure to prevent an outbreak.

References:

1. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/05/26/mysejahtera039s-monkeypox-notification-feature-to-be-activated-on-may-27