Doctor Hajah Jaliha binti Haji Mohd. Yusof said the Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease which primarily affects young children aged five and below are now detected in teenagers and adults.  Sunday, the authority recorded four cases, with two each in Kuala Belait and Tutong.  All the four people have been discharged from hospitals after undergoing treatments.  Doctor Hajah Jaliha explained the disease is caused by the Entero virus group such as Coxsackie A, Enterovirus 71 and Echovirus.  She said one of the best preventive measures is by practicing good hygiene.  Children of all ages must be taught to wash their hands properly.

Following the rise of hand-foot-and-mouth disease cases in neighboring state, there has been a drop in the number of vehicles passing through the Sungai Tujoh Control Post in the Belait District.  According to officer-in-charge at the Immigration Post , the dramatic drop in the movement of vehicles at the border post began after news about the infectious disease made public weeks ago. Members of the public have been advised not to visit the affected areas.

The Minister who’s also Chairman of the Board of Directors for BSP and BLNG hoped that a strategy would be worked out to formulate a sustainable management plan.  The four-day workshop on “Well and Reservoir Surveillance / Management in a 60-Dollar Oil Price World” is attended by some sixty delegates from Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Oman, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Brunei Shell Petroleum Doctor Grahaeme Henderson, in his keynote said that, in essence, well and reservoir surveillance and management is about consistent data gathering and analysis from the wells and reservoirs, followed by the timely and appropriate interventions using the data that being gathered and analysed.  He said at present BSP is taking a two-pronged approach in well and reservoir management.  Firstly, BSP have reinstated dedicated ‘traditional’ well and reservoir management in all of their assets.  BSP, he said, is also definitely seeing the benefits from going back to the fundamentals in terms of realising from new wells and reservoir optimisation opportunities.  Secondly, he added, Brunei Shell Petroleum has progressed smart well and field technologies, and has recently installed the champion west platform, which is one of the world’s most technically advanced facilities.  This has allowed the field to be economically developed, and also introduced a new standard in well and reservoir management.  

The four-day workshop among others acted as a conducive place for delegations to interact and exchange technology, information as well as current issues which can be applied immediately in the industry.  

Restaurant owners and local food processing companies in the Belait District were briefed on ‘Halal Certification Order and Halal Label’. 

 The Head of Halal Haram Section of the Syariah Affairs Department, Awang Haji Kassim bin Haji Mohammad urged all parties concerned, particularly those who are involved in the preparation and sale of processed food and ingredients for Muslim consumers, to be aware of the need for and importance of purity and cleanliness at all levels of preparation.  All these need to be safeguarded by both the entrepreneurs and the consumers.

The briefings on guide-line for applying Halal Certification and Halal Label were delivered by officials from the Islamic Law Unit and Attorney General’s Chambers.