Health Ministry on alert for any possible existence of "Disease X" - Lukanisman

SHAH ALAM - The Health Ministry (MOH) is on high alert for any possible existence of "Disease X” in the country, said Deputy Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni.

He said that the preparations were based on the experience of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and other infections such as nipah virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), despite the fact that the disease had not yet been discovered.

Lukanisman said that the MOH would always monitor developments at home as well as abroad and ensure the country’s health system was strengthened to face any eventuality.

"People shouldn’t be worried because information about any outbreak of disease or virus will be made available to the public,” he said when met after the Lotus’s Ceria Charity Run programme in conjunction with the Wellness Month celebration in Setia Alam today.

On the Wellness Month campaign, which is held every September, Lukanisman said it was one of the ministry’s efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle among Malaysians.

He said that the programme was also held to strengthen cooperation among key partners, particularly those from the private sector, in line with one of the policies outlined in the Health White Paper, which was tabled in Parliament last June. - BERNAMA