KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Health has confirmed two cases of monkeypox in Malaysia.
The Health director-general Dr Radzi Abu Hassan said that the first case was confirmed on 26 July, involving a foreign male who had been residing and working in Malaysia since April 2022.
He had travelled to a country that had documented monkeypox cases on July 6 and returned to Malaysia on July 10, 2023. He started having symptoms on July 19 that were followed by the appearance of blisters on July 23.
After undergoing isolation, he was released on Aug 10 having fully recovered without complications. It is suspected that he may have acquired the infection during his time abroad in the country where monkeypox cases were reported.
The second case involves an individual who came into close contact with the first case. The individual, a Malaysian man, developed symptoms while in quarantine because of exposure to a confirmed pox-positive case.
Quarantine measures were imposed on him from July 27 and his pox infection was confirmed on July 29. He remains under isolation and is currently in stable health.
"All close contacts with the first case have been identified and are being closely monitored," the director-general said in a statement today.
He further added that none of these contacts are showing symptoms, except for the previously mentioned second case. The second case has not had any significant close contacts.
The Ministry of Health advises that all travellers arriving from countries reporting monkeypox monitor their health status daily, including symptoms of monkeypox infection, for a period of 21 days from the date of arrival in Malaysia.
Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, fatigue, headache, and a maculopapular rash that starts on the face and spreads to the hands and feet, followed by other parts of the body. Patients may also experience body aches, back pain, joint pain, muscle spasms, and lymph node swelling.