FOREIGN WORKERS THE CAUSE OF RISING MALARIA IN PENANG

PENANG (Malaysia), Oct 29 (Bernama) -- Foreign immigrants have been
identified as the main cause of the steep rise in malaria cases in Penang to 134
cases for the first nine months of this year, compared with only 54 cases last
year.

State Health, Welfare and Caring Society Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh
said 85 per cent of malaria cases were caused by parasites carried by foreign
workers in the country.

"Examinations conducted by the State Health Department found that a large
number of foreign immigrants were infected by the deadly disease, accounting for
114 cases, and only 31 per cent of this total had valid travel documents while
the others had entered the country illegally," he said at a news conference here
Wednesday.

He said it was also found that these immigrants were infected in their home
countries coming to Malaysia to work.

"What is worrying is that the disease can spread to locals, as there is a
malaria vector in areas that are inhabited by foreigners," he said.

Phee said the cases detected involved those working in the agricultural and
construction fields, and almost all involved illegal immigrants from
Myanmar.

"The southwest and northeast district recorded the highest number of cases
in the Relau, Bukit Gambir and Balik Pulau. These areas are hilly and have
forests," he said.

He said in the State Health Department faced problems in efforts to reduce
the population of malaria-carrying mosquitoes because of difficulties in
tracking down immigrants who liked to live in hilly areas and were on the move
all the time.

"It is also difficult for us to treat those with malaria because they do
not go to the hospital and run away for fear of being captured by the authorites
for entering the country illegally," he said.

He added that the drastic increase in malaria cases this year was also
caused by the unusually heavy rainfall in the country, which had contributed to
the breeding of mosquitoes.
-- BERNAMA