KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Sabah, a state in East Malaysia, is confirmed to be the second state in the country to have recorded a cholera outbreak, a Malaysian official said on Monday.
There were 18 cases reported in the state, said Malaysian Deputy Health Minister Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin after launching the Second International Conference on Rural Medicine 2009 at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah's state capital.
While two states in Malaysia had reported cholera cases, Rosnah said the ones in Terengganu, an eastern state in peninsula Malaysia, were caused by different bacteria strain, requiring different antibiotics for treatment.
Noting that the situation in Sabah State was under control, Rosnah advised the public to look after their health and hygiene, and to be careful when handling food.
The first cholera case in the recent outbreak was reported on Nov. 11 at Kuala Terengganu, the state capital of Terengganu State and as of Sunday, a total of 185 confirmed cases were reported in the state.