Northern Part Of Malaysia Research Articles

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease: The Clinical Spectrum and Management of Case Series in a Tertiary Eye Centre in Northern Part Of Malaysia.

We present the clinical spectrum, the initial clinical presentation with management trends in treating 14 Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease cases in a tertiary center in the Northern part of Malaysia. There were 14 cases of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease retrospectively reviewed over five years (from 2015 to 2020). The mean age at presentation was 37.7 years (range 21-64 years), with female predominance (85.7%). All cases presented with acute uveitic stage and bilateral eye involvement. Of them, 11 (78.6%) were probable VKH, and three (21.4%) were incomplete VKH. All patients attended with acute panuveitis at first presentation. The main posterior segment involvement was disc edema in 57.1% (16 out of 28 eyes) and exudative retinal detachment (ERD) in 35.7% (10 out of 28 eyes). Most of them presented with blindness (3/60 and worse) and moderate visual impair- ment (6/18-6/60); 35.71% each, followed by mild visual impairment (6/12-6/18), and severe visual impairment (6/60-3/60); 7.1% each. Ten patients (71.4%) required combination second-line immunomodulatory treatment during subsequent visits, and only four patients (28.6%) responded well to corticosteroid therapy. Most of the cases achieved no visual impairment (64.3%), followed by mild visual impairment (21.4%) and moderate visual impairment (14.3%), and none were severe or blind at the end of follow-up. VKH is a potentially blinding illness if there is inadequate control of the disease in the acute stage. Most of our patients achievedgood visual outcomes with early immunomodulatory treatment and systemic corticosteroids.

UNSOLD HOUSES IN MALAYSIA: THE KEDAH EXPERIENCE

As Government planning and policy greatly influence the state of Malaysian housing industry, a proactive Government should always be mindful of its citizens’ needs for house ownership. However, meeting the Government’s housing targets requires full support from the private sector, because no Government in the world can provide housing to all of its citizens on its own. Therefore, collaboration between the Government and private sector is crucial, where both parties need to work together in order to maintain the housing industry on the right track. It is unfortunate that the issue of unsold residential properties has plagued Malaysia’s housing industry for a long time – a problem that has not seen any sign of decline from year to year. The unsold properties' problem is complicated by the issue of Bumiputera (Indigenous) lots - lots that can only be sold or leased to Bumiputeras, namely Malays, the Indigenous people, Sabahans and Sarawakians. The State of Kedah, located in the northern part of Malaysia, is not spared from facing this issue, where the number of unsold houses are high. This study analyses the issue of unsold residential properties on Bumiputera lots in the state of Kedah, with the aim of finding the best solution to the problem. In order to achieve the objective, this study employs institutional economics analysis that is based on formal institutions or formal written rules. In other words, the study is based on institutional perspectives whereby the underpinning approaches can be analysed from formal and informal rules. The Elite Group Interview technique was used for data collection in three districts namely Kuala Muda, Baling and Kulim. These districts were selected due to the high volume of unsold residential properties. Eight respondents who had more than 25 years of experience in the property industry participated in this study. The data collected was analysed based on four (4) themes, comprising laws, rent-to-own, reducing house prices, and taxes on vacant houses. Finally, since the data collected were qualitative data, the finding was explained descriptively. The finding showed that institutional perspectives can be applied in property research for identifying alternatives to overcome unsold residential properties in Kedah. It also reveals that the rent-to-own method was the agreed best solution for this issue. By adopting this method, the government can prevent the release of Bumiputera lots and maintain the quota for land ownership among indigenous people.

DETERMINING COST CONTROL TECHNIQUE AND OVERCOMING CHALLENGES IN DAILY OPERATIONS: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE FOODSERVICE MANAGERS

As more new players enter the market, the Malaysian food and beverage industry is anticipated to have a bright future. Hence, it is becoming increasingly important to comprehend how food and beverage establishments make profits through cost control measures, an important aspect that is frequently overlooked academically. Limited studies have been conducted towards understanding cost control matters, especially in the Malaysian setting. This paper highlights the critical cost control techniques and ways to overcome issues in food service operations. An exploratory approach via qualitative study is deemed feasible to investigate cost control measures being practiced in their daily operations. Cost control techniques applied in the Malaysian food and beverage industry needs to be determined. Further, how managers overcome challenges in manning their food and beverage outlets needs exploration. Therefore, in answering the questions, semi-structured interview protocols were conducted on 25 foodservice outlet managers around the northern part of Malaysia. The findings suggested that most of the managers interviewed understand cost control techniques needed to operate outlets based on their routine experience of running their operations. In terms of overcoming the challenges, these managers depicted several solutions which reflected the survival of their business. Thus, some recommendations can be suggested to improve their daily operations to cultivate the correct application of cost control measures in food and beverage outlet operations.

Near-infrared spectroscopy with chemometrics for identification and quantification of adulteration in high-quality stingless bee honey

This study presents a simple, rapid, and non-destructive approach of combining near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) with chemometrics for the evaluation of adulteration levels in stingless bee honey (SBH). Three high-quality SBH samples were directly obtained from the northern part of Malaysia and then adulterated with water (W) and apple cider vinegar (AC) at an adulteration range of 4.76%–50%. The NIRS analysis was performed at the spectral region of 700–1100 ​nm. The chemometric tools used include principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis-linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA), and partial least squares regression (PLSR). Using the first three principal components (PCs) with a total of 97.95% of explained variance, a complete distinction between adulterants, pure, and adulterated samples was achieved. PCA-LDA model with 100% classification accuracy in prediction was able to discriminate each SBH adulterated with W and AC. A general PLSR model to quantify the level of adulteration was developed. The best prediction model used 7 factors with a high correlation coefficient ‘R’ and low root mean square error of prediction ‘RMSEP’ (RP ​= ​0.995 and RMSEP ​= ​1.350%). These results confirm the combined ability of NIRS at region 700–1100 ​nm and chemometrics to effectively discriminate and quantify adulterated SBHs.

Melissopalynological Analysis of Forest Honey from North Malaysia

Honey is a natural product widely used by humans due to its sweet taste and health benefits produced by bees from nectar and honey dew of various plants. To establish and increase the production of honey one must know the plants that take part in the production of honey. In this study pollen analysis of forest honey samples from northern part of Malaysia was carried out to determine the botanical sources playing role in the production of honey in that region. The pollen samples were acetolyzed and identified microscopically. Out of the three samples studied Baling sample was unifloral having Mimosa scabrella as predominant pollen while Jeli and Gerik samples are multifloral containing Tipo myrcia and Elais guineensis as major secondary pollen. Fabaceae family represented four pollen types and accounted 80% of pollen in Baling sample and 34 % in Gerik sample while completely absent in Jeli sample. These results showed the dominance of plants from Fabaceae family in honey production. All the samples analysed have Albizia falcataria, Eupatorium sp., Sparganium typha, Tilia sp. and Tipo myrcia in common indicating that these plants are present in all the three places and these results also can be used as a tool in geographical identification of North Malaysian honey from others.

Accuracy Assessment of Atlas L-band GNSS Global Correction Service and Autonomous Positioning at Perlis, Malaysia

Differential Global Navigation Satellite System (DGNSS) is the most common positioning method used for navigation in the hydrography field. During the loss of the correction signal, the differential solution becomes an autonomous solution that may affect the accuracy of the position during that time. However, the availability of the Atlas L-band global correction service that adapts the Real-Time Precise Point Positioning (RT-PPP) technique has broadened the choice of solutions that can be used for navigation in the maritime industry and may solve the problem of signal loss. This research compares the positioning between autonomous solution GNSS and Atlas L-band correction solution using the static method to assess the accuracy of positioning between both methods. Data acquisition of the autonomous positioning and Atlas L-band service was conducted by using Hemisphere receiver VS330 and antenna A43. The statistical T-test reveals that the accuracy of analysis Atlas-L band and autonomous solution GNSS using static positioning was significant, as the p < 0.05 with 95% confidence interval. Besides, the result also shows that the position given by the Atlas L-band is more accurate and precise than Autonomous Solution GNSS, with an average position of 0.479 meters and 2.281 meters, respectively. Ultimately, the continuity of positioning data given by the Atlas L-band in the northern part of Malaysia is good, and positioning using Atlas L-band can be classified as Special Order based on the classification table by the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO).
 Keywords: Atlas L-Band, GNSS, RT-PPP, Autonomous Positioning

Artificial Neural Network Based Particle Swarm Optimization for Microgrid Optimal Energy Scheduling

This letter proposes an enhancement for artificial neural network (ANN) using particle swarm optimization (PSO) to manage renewable energy resources (RESs) in a virtual power plant (VPP) system. This letter highlights the comparison of the ANN-based binary particle swarm optimization (BPSO) algorithm with the original BPSO algorithm. The comparison has been made upon searching the optimal value of the number of nodes in the hidden layers and the learning rate. These parameter values are used in ANN training for microgrid (MG) optimal energy scheduling. The proposed approach has been tested in the VPP system covering MGs involving RESs to minimize the power and giving priority to sustainable resources to participate instead of buying power from the utility grid. This model is tested using real load demand recorded for 24 h in Perlis state, the northern part of Malaysia. Besides, real weather condition data are recorded by Tenaga Nasional Berhad Research solar energy meteorology for a 1-h average (e.g., solar irradiation, wind speed, battery status data, and fuel level). The results show that ANN-PSO gives precise decision compared with BPSO algorithm, which in turn prove that the enhancement for the neural net reaches the optimum level of energy scheduling.

Application of artificial intelligence algorithms for hourly river level forecast: A case study of Muda River, Malaysia

A reliable river water level model to forecast the changes in different lead times is vital for flood warning systems, especially in countries like Malaysia, where flood is considered the most devastating natural disaster. In the current study, the ability of two artificial intelligence (AI) based data-driven approaches: Multi-layer Perceptron Neural Networks (MLP-NN) and An Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), as reliable models in forecasting the river level based on an hourly basis are investigated. 10-year of hourly measured data of the Muda river's water level in the northern part of Malaysia is used for training and testing the proposed models. Different statistical indices are introduced to validate the reliability of the models. Optimizing the hyper-parameters for both models is explored. Then, sensitivity analysis and uncertainty analysis are carried out. Finally, the capability of the models to forecast the river level for different lead times (1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24-hours ahead) is investigated. The results reveal that a high accuracy was achieved for the MLP-NN model with 4 hidden neurons with RMSE (0.01740), while for ANFIS, a model with three G-bell shaped membership functions outperformed other ANFIS models with RMSE (0.0174). MLP-NN and ANFIS achieved a high level of performance when two input combinations were used with RMSE equal to 0.01299 and 0.0130, respectively. However, MLP outperformed ANFIS in terms of running time and the uncertainty analysis test, in which the d-factor is found to be 0.000357.

Analysing peer feedback in asynchronous online discussions: A case study

Peer feedback is referred to as comments provided by one student to another with the intention to aid their peers’ progress in learning. The responses or feedback provided by peers has been recognised as an integral part of the learning process in online learning environments. However, the research on using peer feedback to stimulate students’ higher level of thinking, especially at the secondary school level, in asynchronous online discussions is rather limited. Hence, this is a gap that the researcher attempts to address in this study. A case study was conducted among Economics students from an all-girls high school located at the northern part of Malaysia. The findings show that the most common type of feedback provided by students in the four AODs was categorised at cognitive dimension, with the affective and the metacognitive dimensions following behind. Even though most of the students had positive perceptions toward peer feedback of their learning in AODs, the findings show that there was a lack of constructive feedback found in AOD forums. Therefore, based on the findings of this study, some recommendations for future research have been proposed.

Consumers’ Healthy Lifestyle: Does It Matter For The Consumption Pattern Of Healthy Food?

Unhealthy food consumption has been linked to the risk of many diseases such as non-communicable disease and obesity. The objective of this paper is to identify the influencing factors that determine the consumption patterns of healthy food among academician in the northern part of Malaysia and its causal relationships using a theoretical model based on the Stimuli’s organism response theory. A quantitative research design approach was selected where the questionnaire was formulated for primary data collection Data were collected from 360 respondents in Malaysia by using systematic random sampling and subjected to Smart PLS analysis. The proposed model fits the data well by having good validity and reliability. The results revealed that the consumer healthy lifestyle fully mediated the relationship between promotion, place and the consumption pattern of healthy food. Finally, implications and recommendations of these findings are discussed.

The Relationship Between Job Burnout and Job Satisfaction: Health Care Industry Perspectives

The healthcare industry is becoming one of the most growing concerns among people in Malaysia. This industry is expected to provide efficient and effective services to the community. This study is aimed to examine the relationship between the dimension job burnout, which includes emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, and depersonalization with job satisfaction among healthcare providers in the healthcare industry at the northern part of Malaysia. A quantitative methodology was applied in this study where 200 questionnaires had been distributed. Only 171 questionnaires were collected and returned back. Out of that number, only 156 questionnaires were fit to be analysed. It was found that all of the burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment) have a significant relationship to job satisfaction. Multiple Regression analyses have found that 2 of the independent variables had a negative relationship with job satisfaction (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization). Personal accomplishment is the most significant and had a strong relationship with job satisfaction. It is recommended for future research to conduct qualitative research to find diversity in the result, emphasising on other professions, including a firefighter, police officer, custom immigration officer, or any other enforcement profession which seems to have an issue with job burnout. It is challenging to conduct this research due to the geographical location since the location for this study is in the northern part of Malaysia. It involves many hospitals, clinics as well as patient-oriented personnel. On the other hand, future research may include a bigger number of medical and healthcare personnel all over Malaysia to get a better generalisation. A wider scope of the population will provide better findings that cover all spectrum of the healthcare provider.

A Calibrated Item Bank for Computerized Adaptive Testing in Measuring Science TIMSS Performance

The current assessment is demanding for a more personalised and less-time consuming testing environment. Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) is seemed as a more effective alternative testing method in comparison to conventional test in meeting the current standard of assessment. This research reports on the calibration of the released Grade 8 Science objective items in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003-2015 based on Rasch model framework to be used in CAT as an alternative testing tool in a low stakes test. Concurrent common item equating method was used in linking and equating sets of items. Five test sets were produced consisting of 20 unique items and 10 common items in each set. The unique items were available only in a single set while common items were available in the two-consecutive set of items. The sets were administered through Paper and Pencil test to Form 2 (Grade 8) students who had been selected through a purposive sampling method from secondary schools in the northern part of Malaysia. The fit analysis, polarity analysis, unidimensionality analysis, item measure and Person-Map-Item were conducted. The analysis produced 122 calibrated items which meet the Rasch’s requirements and were suitable to be used in CAT.

Case Study of Cyberbully among Effeminate Male Students in Public University

Social media is a worldwide trend and it has been used by everyone regardless of their age and background. The benefits of social media to consumers are the fast-paced functions of information delivery worldwide. However, social media has its own cost such as cyberbullying which involves the unknown disguised perpetrator and the poor victim. The issue of cyberbullying is a phenomenon that takes place on an internet platform and it has a profound impact on the victim. Cyberbullying is a form of deviant behavior of irresponsible individuals. This case study was conducted to understand the effects of cyberbullying among effeminate male university students. The subjects of the study consisted of four students at two public universities in the northern part of Malaysia. The methodology of research is a qualitative method by using in-depth interviews. The findings show that the main factor for cyberbullying to happen is the feminine character and the content of feminine posts such as fashion and makeup. Furthermore, the subjects are also affected emotionally, academically and in some aspects of their lives. In conclusion, the symptoms of cyberbullying are increasingly widespread and can happen to anyone. Various parties need to work together to control and mitigate these symptoms from continuously damaging the well-being of the community.

Evaluating Computerized Adaptive Testing Efficiency in Measuring Students’ Performance in Science TIMSS

The current standards of assessment are demanding for high level of precision with less time-consuming and personalized opportunities, thus restrict the function of Paper and Pencil Test which has dominated the assessment field for a very long time. The Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) is viewed as an alternative testing tool to Paper and Pencil Test as it has adaptive feature which enables it to meet the current standards of assessment. This research is focusing on the evaluation of students’ ability in Grade 8 Science Trend in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) using Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) as an alternative instrument to Paper and Pencil Test to investigate whether the implementation of CAT can produce high level of precision with fewer items administered as well as differentiate different academic level among groups of students. CAT was configured in Concerto and was administered on Form 2 and Form 4 students selected through purposive sampling method from secondary schools in northern part of Malaysia. Students’ performance was analysed and compared in terms of score (theta value), SEM value and their response toward the items selected in CAT using SPSS. Finding shows that the administration of 20 objective items in fixed length CAT produced SEM ≤0.50 indicated that the implemented CAT increased the efficiency of assessment with fewer item administration. The t test showed that there was a significance difference between the two groups’ scores in CAT in which Form 4 students had higher ability level than Form 2 students proving that CAT’s configuration had been done correctly in Concerto and the test was more suitable in challenging Form 2 students’ Science knowledge thus the instrument fulfilled the known-group validity.

Development and annotation of species-specific microsatellite markers from transcriptome sequencing for a higher group termite, Globitermes sulphureus Haviland (Blattodea: Termitidae)

The wood-feeding subterranean termite, Globitermes sulphureus Haviland (Blattodea: Termitidae) is an important decomposer and a secondary pest in agricultural areas such as oil palm and coconut plantation. Little is known with respect to the role of G. sulphureus in ecology, biology, dispersal range, and its control measures. Adding to these, knowledge concerning the colony of G. sulphureus in the urban is considered limited since attention is intensely given to the native G. sulphureus colony in the forested settings. In this study, samples of G. sulphureus were collected from 10 grounded populations and another 10 native populations throughout the Northern part of Malaysia. 30 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed and characterized from transcriptome dataset of urban-originating G. sulphureus enriched for di-, tri- and tetranucleotide repeat motifs. Thirty primer pairs were successfully amplified DNA fragments from 600 isolates of G. sulphureus, revealing an overall of 180 alleles. The number of alleles per locus identified ranged from 3 to 9. Among sequences containing microsatellites, dinucleotides repeats were the most abundant (44.57%), followed by trinucleotides repeats (41.99%), tetranucleotides repeats (11.18%), pentanucleotides repeats (1.84%), and hexanucleotides repeats (0.42%). This is the first report of microsatellite polymorphisms in G. sulphureus. The microsatellite primers developed in this current work may facilitate in population genetic study of this termite species.

Favorable Working Environment in Promoting Safety at Workplace

Occupational safety is important as it affects the well-being of organizational members and its visitors. This study attempts to investigate the safety awareness among staff of higher learning institutions (HLI) in the Northern part of Malaysia. The objective is to investigate the relationship between office environment, management commitment, staff's attitudes and organizational policies with safety at the workplace. The data were analyzed using correlation and multiple regressions. The findings indicate there is a significant relationship among the studied variables. The study suggests that it is vital for the management to install and promote a safety culture in the office.

HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT DUE TO EMISSIONS FROM MEDICAL WASTE INCINERATOR IN MALAYSIA

In this research, health risk assessment due to the emission of pollutants from a medical waste incinerator located within industrial estate in the northern part of Malaysia was presented. The influence of pollutants emission in the vicinity of the incineration plant was the main concern in this research. The measured emissions of pollutants from the stacks of the studied plant that may pose risk to human health and the environment are compared against the acceptable limit as in the Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulation 2014. Next, the levels of pollutants in ambient air are assessed in comparison with the guideline established by the Malaysia Ambient Air Quality Guideline (MAAQG). The health risk assessment was then conducted by calculating the quantitative risk for non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic pollutants. The study reveals that the total cancer risk due to emission of carcinogenic pollutants from the incinerator is 1.84 x 10-5, which indicates risky circumstances as the calculated risk is higher than the benchmark of acceptable risk of 1 x10-6. Meanwhile the health risk calculated due to emission of non-carcinogenic pollutants ranges between 0.000286 and 0.1, indicating acceptable risk. The result shows that the non-carcinogenic pollutants emitted from the studied medical waste incinerator are within the acceptable exposure limits. However, for carcinogens, the released amounts may cause human health risk, and therefore demands for further attention to reduce the concentrations as low as reasonably practicable, at least in compliance with the established guidelines.

The patterns of language choice at the border of Malaysia-Thailand

Any activities conducted at the boundary area between countries will only be successful if the community of speakers has mutual understanding in terms of language, especially those involving business. This study focuses on a community in the northern part of Malaysia near the Thailand border where majority of people are bilingual in Malay and Thai. This study aims to investigate the patterns of language used by speakers in the Malaysia-Thailand border, in the context of language maintenance and language shift. Both countries use different languages; with Malaysians use Malay and the Thais use Thai language. In this cross-border context, activities pertaining to business, visit or personal matters will have an impact on the development of the two languages. This study presents the findings on the language choice from a survey involving 202 respondents that was conducted in two border towns at the Malaysia-Thailand border, namely Rantau Panjang (Malaysian side) and Golok (Thailand side). By utilizing the domain concept that was introduced by Fishman (1972), this study focuses on two domains namely, business and family. In addition to the questionnaire, participant observations and interviews were also conducted as supplements. The data on the patterns of language choice were analyzed statistically. The findings show that although Malaysians and Thais speak two different languages, Kelantanese dialect, which is a variety of the standard Malay, was the most dominant language at the border. This study also found that age was a significant factor in determining the patterns of language use. The younger generations were using Kelantanese dialect and Thai language in domains where older people would only use Kelantanese dialect. This points to the occurrence of language shift at the border. However, the community at the Thai side of the border tends to choose Kelantanese dialect in their daily activities, which seems to indicate language maintenance in this area. These findings suggest that language can serve as a marker of identity, especially for those communities in Golok as most of them are originally from Malaysia. Finally, this study has contributed empirical data on language usage at the Malaysia-Thailand border.

Safety Culture Behaviour in Electronics Manufacturing Sector (EMS) in Malaysia: The Case of Flextronics

Abstract The prevention of work-related injury and illness is of crucial importance to employees, industry and society as a whole. Corporate safety culture is now generally accepted as having a strong influence over workplace accidents and injuries. After implementation of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in the organization, there have been an improvement in term of safety in the workplace. However, there are still some cases of accident being reported even after the organizations’ management provided training, introducing stricter rules and regulation regarding safety, and provides proper equipment to employee. Hence, the study is carried out in order to examine the effect of employees’ attitude and subjective norm toward safety culture behaviour in organization. The study was conducted in manufacturing service industry in Malaysia, and data collection was done at Flextronics Penang Sdn Bhd, a company in the northern part of Malaysia. Data were collected through 196 survey questionnaires distributed to operators (90 respondents), technician (52 respondents) and engineer (27 respondents) in Flextronics Penang Sdn Bhd. The results showed that safety culture behaviour is significantly influenced by employee's attitude and subjective norm. Based on the findings, several recommendations are being put forward in order to improve the safety culture behaviour among employees in the organization. For future research in the same area, it is being recommended to include management commitment, leadership, safety education, and training under scrutiny in order to understand its relationship with safety culture behaviour among employees.

Isolation and Metagenomic Identification of Avian Leukosis Virus Associated with Mortality in Broiler Chicken.

Avian leukosis virus (ALV) belongs to the family Retroviridae and causes considerable economic losses to the poultry industry. Following an outbreak associated with high mortality in a broiler flock in northern part of Malaysia, kidney tissues from affected chickens were submitted for virus isolation and identification in chicken embryonated egg and MDCK cells. Evidence of virus growth was indicated by haemorrhage and embryo mortality in egg culture. While viral growth in cell culture was evidenced by the development of cytopathic effects. The isolated virus was purified by sucrose gradient and identified using negative staining transmission electron microscopy. Further confirmation was achieved through next-generation sequencing and nucleotide sequence homology search. Analysis of the viral sequences using the NCBI BLAST tool revealed 99-100% sequence homology with exogenous ALV viral envelope protein. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial envelope sequences showed the Malaysian isolate clustered with Taiwanese and Japanese ALV strains, which were closer to ALV subgroup J, ALV subgroup E, and recombinant A/E isolates. Based on these findings, ALV was concluded to be associated with the present outbreak. It was recommended that further studies should be conducted on the molecular epidemiology and pathogenicity of the identified virus isolate.