Mumps infection under control, says state health director

ALL 14 pupils from SK Bukit Sentosa in Rawang, Selangor who came down with mumps are fine but have been ordered to stay indoors until they have recovered, to prevent the virus from spreading.

Selangor Health Department director Datuk Dr Khalid Ibrahim said the children were told to seek medical treatment as soon as the school administration was alerted of the matter by the Hulu Selangor District Health Department and state health department on Nov 8.

“All 14 pupils, aged between 10 and 12, are in stable condition but we need them to be at home as this disease is highly contagious,” he said during the Mega 2.0 Fight Aedes Selangor Level gotong-royong programme held in Kampong Johan Setia, Johan Setia in Klang, yesterday.

SK Bukit Sentosa has a total population of 469 pupils and teachers. So far, there were no symptoms of mumps for the rest.

Dr Khalid added that six classrooms were ordered closed for two weeks.

“All tables, chairs and classrooms have been cleaned thoroughly. It is part of a disinfection measure,” he said.

Dr Khalid said mumps was caused by the Paramyxovirus virus.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, swelling and pain in the parotid (salivary) glands.

“Often people infected with mumps will recover fully without complications after two to three weeks,” Dr Khalid said.

He added that the disease was common until immunisation for mumps was given since 2002, in the form of the three-pronged Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine.

“Since then, the number of cases has dropped,” he said.

“Cases of mumps occur in close-contact settings such as schools or college campuses. One main sign of mumps is swollen salivary glands that cause the cheeks to puff out. Other signs include pain in the swollen salivary glands on one or both sides of a person’s face,” he said.

Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) Health Department deputy director II Muhd Kasri Muharddin was concerned about the matter, adding that mumps was highly contagious in the first nine days of contracting the virus.“I advise parents to encourage their children to rest as much as possible and to ease symptoms of pain with cold compresses. Do take some cooling food to reduce heatiness,” he added.

Muhd Kasri added that a high level of hygiene must also be practised to cut off the risk of infection.

Meanwhile, Selangor Health, Welfare, Women and Family Empowerment exco Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud who also participated in the gotong-royong event said all councillors in the local authorities have been asked to team up with the council’s health inspectors to visit houses in their areas to educate residents about dengue prevention.

“The statistics show a drop but with the heavy rain of late, it could rise and the state is concerned about it,” she added.

Dr Siti Mariah, who is also Seri Serdang assemblyman, said councillors must get residents to spend at least 10 minutes a week to clean up their surroundings to eliminate mosquito-breeding grounds.

“The 10-minute clean-up approach is crucial so that community support can be rallied to stop the chain of dengue transmission,” she said, adding that fighting dengue could not be done solely by the local authorities or non-governmental.

Klang Municipal Council (MPK) Health Department director Azmi Muji said this year, the total number of dengue cases in Klang until Nov 3, stood at 8,983 cases with four deaths compared to last year where there were 7,035 cases and five deaths.

Klang district has the second highest number of cases after the Petaling district and has recorded a total of 12,131 cases and 11 deaths this year.

Klang district covers the township of Klang and some neighbourhoods in Shah Alam, including Taman Sri Muda, Kampung Jawa and Bukit Kemuning.

The gotong-royong session which began at 7.45am saw some locals cleaning up Taman Setia.

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