ABSTRACT
Globally, COVID-19 has infected over millions of people worldwide. The first COVID-19 case in Malaysia was imported from Singapore on 24th January 2020. Since then, many more local cases had been reported with the basic reproduction value reaching 3.5. The government has thus implemented the Movement Control Order (MCO) from 18th March to 12th May, and Conditional MCO from 13th May to 9th June, as preventive measures to lower the R-nought (Ro) value to about 1. In hindsight, this pandemic has exposed our limitations, unpreparedness and imprudent resource allocations in coping with the consequences, besides posing a monumental challenge to recovery. This article describes the COVID-19 scenario in Malaysia and explores its preemptive framework for socio-economic mitigation measures to maintain economic health and recovery, as well as strengthening the nation’s healthcare system. Several opportunities (research grants for COVID-19 and the Internet of Things) and issues (prediction of COVID-19 cases without MCO and global superpower shifts) that emerged due to the crisis that may directly or indirectly affect the country are also highlighted. © 2022
ABSTRACT
The critically endangered Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni), with an estimated population of less than 200 individuals left in isolated rainforest habitats in Malaysia, is in an intermediate population crash leading to extinction in the next decade. The population has decreased significantly by illegal poaching, environmental perturbation, roadkill, and being captured during human-wildlife conflicts. Forty-five or more individuals were extracted from the wild (four animals captured due to conflict, one death due to canine distemper, one roadkilled, and 39 poached) in the 12 years between 2008-2019. The Malayan tigers are the first wildlife species to test positive for COVID-19 and are subject to the Canine Distemper Virus. These anthropogenic disturbances (poaching and human-tiger conflict) and environmental perturbation (decreasing habitat coverage and quality) have long been identified as impending extinction factors. Roadkill and infectious diseases have emerged recently as new confounding factors threatening Malayan tiger extinction in the near future. Peninsular Malaysia has an existing Malayan tiger conservation management plan;however, to enhance the protection and conservation of Malayan tigers from potential extinction, the authority should reassess the existing legislation, regulation, and management plan and realign them to prevent further population decline, and to better enable preparedness and readiness for the ongoing pandemic and future threats.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic is due to SARS-CoV-2 and is spreading into 215 countries in the world. The COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease, and human to human transmission is possible via direct and indirect contact with infected individuals and contaminated surfaces. Recently, captive species of wild cats were tested positive for the COVID-19, and this is evidence of possible transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from human to animal, i.e., zooanthroponosis. In particular, the zoos should reduce the risk of introducing SARS-CoV-2 to the captive animals from the tourists or their workers. The risks can be reduced by implementing the preventive measure responses following the emergence of zoonotic disease. In this commentary article, we provide the existing disease control measures and have proposed several other preventive measures for the management of zooanthroponosis in various zoos located in Peninsular Malaysia. © 2021, Penerbit UMT. All Rights Reserved