As part of the government’s move to transition MySejahtera into a post-pandemic public health tool, it has converted the app’s COVID-19 Hotspot Tracker into the Infectious Disease Tracker. With the latest update, the tracker has added another contagion to its portfolio — the lung disease tuberculosis.
Now, MySejahtera’s in-app tracker gives you a list of the number of active cases of infectious diseases it tracks within your vicinity, so you can be aware and take precaution if there happens to be an outbreak in your area. Aside from the newly added tuberculosis, the feature also tracks cases of measles, dengue, rabies, COVID-19, and, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD).
Now you can track active cases of Tuberculosis Disease in the surrounding area by using Infectious Disease Tracker on the MySejahtera app.
Update to the latest version (1.1.9) to use the new features of MySejahtera app.#mysejahtera#infectiousdiseasetracker#reopeningsafely pic.twitter.com/efdoO2lsNw
— MySejahtera (@my_sejahtera) May 17, 2022
Tuberculosis infections, an air borne disease, has fortunately been on a downtrend as there were 21,727 cases in 2021 compared to 23,644 in the previous year, a reduction of 8.1%. However, HFMD has experienced a huge surge as of late, with 12.8 times more infections during the 17th epidemiological week compared to the same period in 2021.
Dengue cases have also been on the rise as there where almost 40% more cases this year. As for COVID-19, while there has been a recent spike since the country relaxed certain curbs, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has said the level of severity is still manageable.
While the Infection Disease Tracker provides awareness of outbreaks, some medical experts such as Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman, professor of public health at International Medical University, questioned the purpose of the feature as it does not provide any information on symptoms, prevention, or which groups are at high risk.
As it is no longer mandatory to check in using MySejahtera when entering premises, the use of the app has since plummeted by 97% nationwide. Despite the app’s decline in relevance, you might not want to delete it just yet as it still stores your COVID-19 vaccination records that can be used for international travel. Those going clubbing will also need the app as it is mandatory to turn on MySJ Trace in nightclubs.
(Source: MySejahtera/Twitter)
