Visitors from Ebola-hit countries to be given health alert card - Dr Subramaniam

All visitors from Ebola-hit countries will be issued a health alert card upon arrival at Malaysia's entry points.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said the issuing of the card by the ministry to visitors with Ebola-like symptoms or not was to monitor their health status within a 21-day period since their arrival in this country.

"This is to enable them to receive immediate treatment at any of the 21 hospitals which they can refer to if they have the Ebola symptoms."

Dr Subramaniam said this at a news conference after looking at the Health Ministry's level of preparedness at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA, here, in handling the Ebola threat.

He said visitors tested positive for Ebola would be sent for quarantine at Sungai Buloh Hospital in Selangor, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and the Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching.

"Another measure is to conduct health screening on all visitors from the affected countries at all our international entry points, by stationing 150 health workers there, like what is being done at KLIA and klia2 now."

Dr Subramaniam said although Malaysia received no direct flights from countries in West Africa that were hit by Ebola, the immediate measures taken by the ministry to prevent its spread here showed the government did not take lightly the report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the rising number of Ebola cases.

"The ministry will continue to work closely with all the relevant agencies to boost our preparedness and response to the potential spread of the disease here," he said.

Up to last Saturday, 10,114 Ebola cases with 4,922 deaths were recorded but until now, WHO has not issued any warning for people not to travel to the affected countries like Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.