MIRI, July 20 — The Miri Division Health Office has confirmed receiving preliminary reports of melioidosis cases and multiple fatalities involving workers near Sungai Kalai in Ulu Baram.
According to health officer Dr P. Raviwharmman Packierisamy, a team comprising a medical officer and health inspectors has been deployed to the affected camp, which is located approximately nine to ten hours’ drive from Miri via off-road timber tracks.
“A team from the Miri Division Health Office has been dispatched to the site to conduct investigations, screen other individuals with symptoms, make early referrals to the nearest healthcare facilities, and carry out health education, sanitation, and disease control measures,” he told The Borneo Post.
The action follows reports of recent deaths involving several workers in the Ulu Baram area over the past week.
Dr Raviwharmman noted that the health office has been working closely with the camp’s management and that cooperation from the latter has been constructive.
He emphasised that the situation remains isolated and is currently under control.
It is understood that four men have died in recent weeks, with the most recent fatality recorded on Saturday, July 19.
The individual reportedly passed away while receiving treatment at Miri Hospital.
The series of deaths has reportedly raised concern and unease among nearby village communities, prompting heightened monitoring by the authorities. — The Borneo Post
* Editor’s note: An earlier version erroneously described the fatalities as affecting timber workers and has since been corrected.Â
