The Ministry of Health (MOH) says it may add a hantavirus tracker to the MySejahtera app’s Disease Tracker feature should the need arise. Deputy Health Minister Hanifah Hajar Taib said the addition would allow users to access real-time information related to the disease more easily, while noting that the ministry is continuing to monitor the global situation closely.
“We hope the situation remains under control and subsides,” she told reporters after attending the national-level International Nurses Day celebration yesterday. “Based on our experience after COVID-19, we must remain highly vigilant and do not want hantavirus to spread further.”
Hanifah was responding to questions regarding whether MOH plans to include hantavirus in MySejahtera’s Disease Tracker feature. The tool currently provides users with real-time information on nearby infection hotspots involving diseases such as dengue, tuberculosis (TB), measles, hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), COVID-19, human rabies, and animal rabies.
According to the deputy minister, although several infections and three deaths linked to hantavirus have been reported overseas, the overall situation remains under control at the moment. She added that authorities have not detected any signs of the virus spreading into Asia so far.
“Through close coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) and related agencies, we have found that the situation remains under control in the affected Western countries,” she said. “At this point, Alhamdulillah, it is under control.”
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad separately said that MOH will continue monitoring global and regional developments closely. He added that this is to ensure Malaysia’s border preparedness and healthcare system remain at the highest level of readiness.
For the uninitiated, hantavirus is a rodent-borne virus that can infect humans through exposure to air contaminated with rat droppings, urine, or saliva. Several European countries recently stepped up monitoring and isolation measures following an outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship. For now, there is no indication that the virus poses an immediate threat to Malaysia, and there is also no sign that the government intends to rely on MySejahtera in the same way it did during the COVID-19 pandemic.
And in case you have forgotten, MySejahtera was launched by the Malaysian government in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The app initially focused on contact tracing, vaccination records, and health risk monitoring before later evolving into a digital public health platform. Today, the app also supports features such as digital health records, appointment management, organ donor registration, blood donation information, and other healthcare-related services.
So while many Malaysians probably no longer open the app regularly, it may still be worth keeping on your device for health-related matters. And if you have forgotten your login credentials, note that MySejahtera now uses MyDigital ID as its sole login method.
(Source: Bernama)
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