Health Department records two new suspected cases of rotavirus

The Health Department recorded two new cases today involving children hospitalised due to vomiting and diarrhoea after going for a picnic at Bukit Merah Lake Town in Perak.

Kedah Health director Datuk Dr Norhizan Ismail said the latest cases involved a baby boy aged one year and three months admitted to Kulim Hospital, and a one year and one month-old girl warded at Jitra Hospital.

"Both victims visited Bukit Merah Lake Town on Saturday. They are in stable condition. We are waiting for laboratory test results to show whether they had indeed been infected with rotavirus," he said in a statement today.

Yesterday, the State Health Department confirmed seven cases involving children who were hospitalised due to vomiting and diarrhoea caused by rotavirus infection after visiting Bukit Merah Lake Town on Saturday.

Rotavirus is a contagious virus that causes inflammation of the stomach and intestines, and often strikes children under five years of age, with symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and abdominal pain. - Bernama