Unknown ailment

IN A desperate bid to combat Vhe spread
of a fatal disease that has already
claimed 14 lives 91thce April, Malaysia
has sought help on the Internet. The
health ministry has posted a notice on
the Internet asking for help on the out-break of a disease suspected to be caused by the 'Coxsackie virus B,' which is relatively unknown to local doctors.

Most of the deaths ihat occurred
due to the suspected viral attack in the
eastern state of Sarawak on Borneo
island, were caused by cardiogenic
shock (abnormal functioning of the
heart) due to swelling of heart. "As far as
we know, there is no other parallel
situation worldwide where this disease
has been discovered and has caused so
many deaths," said the health minister
Chua Jui Meng. There is no known
vaccination for the Coxsackie virus. If
the death toll continues to rise, the
health ministry may consider declaring
the viral attack an epidemic. The virus
usually attacks the throat before spreading to the hands and feet. However, a
variant of it also attacks heart tissues,
leading to heart failure.