JOHOR BAHRU, Feb 6 — The Johor government said six students from schools in Kota Tinggi have been quarantined and are being monitored closely after contracting tuberculosis (TB) following a recent outbreak.
Johor Education and Information Committee chairman Aznan Tamin said the quarantined students are currently receiving treatment.
He said the affected students, consisting of four boys and two girls, were detected earlier as having contracted TB after being identified as close contacts during a health screening.
“Following that, the district health office initiated a meeting and information session regarding the outbreak with the affected schools.
“The session is aimed at providing understanding and insight into TB. It is also for the school teachers, students and parents to exercise preventive measures,” he said in a statement late yesterday.
The six students are among 33 active TB cases detected by public health authorities following the outbreak in Kota Tinggi.
Aznan assured the public that the situation is under control and does not warrant a closure of schools in the district.
However, he stressed that all schools in the state must strictly comply with the guidelines issued by the Health Ministry.
“These guidelines include aspects of hygiene, health monitoring and recommended follow-up actions,” he said, adding that the state government remains committed to ensuring the safety, health and welfare of students as well as school staff.
Aznan, who is the Tanjung Surat assemblyman, also advised the public to only seek verified information on the TB outbreak from official sources.
He cautioned that the dissemination of unverified or fake news could cause unease and panic.
Yesterday, the Johor Health Department confirmed that 33 people had contracted TB following the outbreak in Kota Tinggi on January 25.
Public health authorities are actively investigating the latest TB outbreak in Kota Tinggi after identifying it from a new cluster.
