IPOH, July 17 — The Health Ministry (MoH) has confirmed that seven deaths involving malaria infection were detected from January 2 to July 9 this year.

Deputy Health Minister, Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali, said that, of the total, six cases were reported from zoonotic malaria infection, while one case involved local human malaria infection.

"For zoonotic malaria deaths, two cases were reported in Terengganu and Sabah, with one case in Sarawak and Pahang. One case of death involving local human malaria occurred in Johor,” he said in a press conference, after officiating the national level of the World Malaria Day 2022 event at the Sultan Azlan Shah Roundabout here, today.

Apart from that, he said a total of 1,447 cases of malaria were recorded in the same period, involving 1,311 cases of zoonotic malaria and 136 of locally infected human malaria.

"I was informed that the cases of infection are still under control, but we should be vigilant and need to ensure that preventive measures are taken to reduce the rate of cases,” he said.

In a related development, Dr Noor Azmi said that the ministry recommended that industry players in the plantation, mining and construction sectors who use foreign workers, always conduct health checks, including malaria screening, on these groups.

He added that this is because they are among those who are vulnerable and at risk of contracting malaria, based on research and studies conducted by relevant parties.

"Foreign workers should undergo health check-ups, including malaria screening, according to the policy set by the government. Employers are also responsible for supplying medicated mosquito nets to protect them from mosquito bites. For employees who suffer from malaria symptoms, they need to undergo an examination at a nearby health clinic,” he said.

He also hoped that all parties, including the community, would play their respective roles to ensure that all types of malaria infections could be fully controlled.

Commenting on today’s programme, he said that it was held to raise awareness and to convey a message to the community that malaria is a public health problem that needs to be given serious attention. — Bernama