COVID-19 in Malaysia: exposure assessment and prevention practices among healthcare workers at a teaching hospital.

Autor: Muhammad Azami NA; UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. azila_azami@ukm.edu.my., Abdul Murad NA; UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Mohammed Nawi A; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Salleh SA; Department of Microbiology and Medical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Periyasamy P; Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Kori N; Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Hasan MR; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Ahmad N; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Sulong A; Department of Microbiology and Medical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Othman H; Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Mohd Don TN; Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Ab Mutalib NS; UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Mohamad Hanif EA; UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Sulaiman SA; UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Zulkiflee NS; Hospital Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia., Abdul Kader AR; Staff Polyclinic, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Abdul Gafor AH; Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Rashid HH; Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Jamal R; UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of infection in developing countries [J Infect Dev Ctries] 2021 Dec 31; Vol. 15 (12), pp. 1816-1824. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Dec 31.
DOI: 10.3855/jidc.15277
Abstrakt: Introduction: During the second wave of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, Malaysia reported several COVID-19 clusters related to healthcare workers. Thus, addressing and understanding the risk of exposure in healthcare workers is important to prevent future infection and reduce secondary COVID-19 transmission within the healthcare settings. In this study, we aim to assess exposure and prevention practices against COVID-19 among healthcare workers at the Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, a university teaching hospital based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Methodology: A total of 571 healthcare workers at COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 wards as well as the emergency department and laboratory staff at COVID-19 testing labs were recruited. The presence of novel human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and IgM/IgG antibodies were confirmed in all healthcare workers. The healthcare workers responded to an online Google Forms questionnaire that evaluates demographic information and comorbidities, exposure and adherence to infection prevention and control measures against COVID-19. Descriptive analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 24.0.
Results: Three healthcare workers (0.5%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, while the remaining 568 (99.5%) were negative. All were negative for IgM and IgG antibodies during recruitment (day 1) and follow-up (day 15). More than 90% of the healthcare workers followed infection prevention and control practices recommendations regardless of whether they have been exposed to occupational risk for COVID-19.
Conclusions: The healthcare workers' high level of adherence to infection prevention practices at this hospital helped reduce and minimize their occupational exposure to COVID-19.
Competing Interests: No Conflict of Interest is declared
(Copyright (c) 2021 Nor Azila Muhammad Azami, Nor Azian Abdul Murad, Azmawati Mohammed Nawi, Sharifah Azura Salleh, Petrick Periyasamy, Najma Kori, Mohd Rohaizat Hasan, Norfazilah Ahmad, Anita Sulong, Hanita Othman, Tuti Ningseh Mohd Don, Nurul Syakima Ab Mutalib, Ezanee Azlina Mohamad Hanif, Siti Aishah Sulaiman, Nurul Syeefa' Zulkiflee, Abdul Rashid Abdul Kader, Abdul Halim Abdul Gafor, Hanafiah Haruna Rashid, Rahman Jamal.)
Databáze: MEDLINE