SEREMBAN: The housewife from Rembau, Negri Sembilan, diagnosed as Malaysia’s first adult diphtheria patient, is now quarantined at the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital.
Negri Sembilan health director Dr Abdul Rahim Abdullah said the 41-year-old woman has been quarantined since July 15.
“At first, she was quarantined based on our early diagnosis of her condition. After the blood test proved that she had contracted diphtheria, we continued to quarantine the patient and continued her medical treatments," he said.
He said the patient would be isolated and quarantined for at least 10 days.
“But this will depend on her condition. If we find that she is fit and free from the virus, she may be released earlier," said Abdul Rahim.
Her family members, including her six children aged between eight and 21, however have not been quarantined.
"We took oral swab samples from her close family members to investigate whether she had spread the virus to any of them. We will get the results soon," he said.
The incident, which marks the first recorded adult diphtheria case in the country, has brought the total number of diphtheria cases nationwide to 15, five of which were fatal.