BY LOH FOON FONG
Dr Rahim
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has sent its first infectious disease physician to Sierra Leone to assist in controlling the Ebola outbreak, the Health Ministry announced.
Public health specialist Dr Rosemawati Ariffin left on Wednesday to serve with the World Health Organisation (WHO) team for six weeks together with experts from other countries.
Another Malaysian specialist, Dr Rahim Sulong, will join the team in early June.
Health director-general Datuk Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said as epidemiologists on the field, they were required to monitor and look for cases and contacts from house to house and give symptomatic treatment to those who were not admitted to hospital.
“They are also required to give explanation on hygiene and bathe Ebola-positive corpses while collecting and analysing epidemiology data,” he said.
“The ministry is proud that Dr Rosemawati and Dr Rahim were chosen after a selection process,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Dr Noor Hisham said the two had the expertise required to face the risk because Ebola had high infection and death rates while the infrastructures were lacking.
“We are confident that with their expertise, they will be committed to the work. We also pray that they will be safe and in good health,” he said.
Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry had received a request from the WHO in February to assist in controlling the Ebola menace in Africa, especially in Sierra Leone.
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