King urges public to stay alert as haze risk rises
His Majesty said the situation could also affect public health, especially among children, senior citizens and those with respiratory conditions.
"The public should look after their health and monitor the Air Pollutant Index (API) from time to time. Hot and dry conditions can cause fires to spread rapidly," said His Majesty in a statement posted on Facebook today.
Sultan Ibrahim also urged the authorities to step up patrols and enforcement against open burning, which could worsen the country's air quality.
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However, this does not reflect the full scope of our population. Including East Malaysian groups helps capture the broader spectrum of genetic variation that exists in Malaysia. The people of Sarawak, with their deep ancestral roots and minimal admixture, offer insights into immune-related genes that may have evolved to counter local pathogens in tropical rainforest environments. These could include gene variants involved in inflammation, antiviral response and vaccine effectiveness. High cases of leprosy Among Sarawak's indigenous peoples, the Penan – a traditionally nomadic group from the interior forests of Baram and Belaga – are of special interest. Despite their isolation, they have experienced disproportionately high rates of leprosy, a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Why the Penan are particularly prone to leprosy remains under investigation, but genome science offers several clues. 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Understanding the genetic variation in immunity genes can help in developing tailored vaccines and therapies, predicting disease risk, improving outbreak response and strengthening precision medicine. Sarawak has a critical role in this movement. The inclusion of underrepresented groups in the MyGenom Project ensures that health policies, treatments and diagnostics are inclusive and equitable. Leaving them out risks creating a healthcare gap where indigenous communities receive solutions based on data from unrelated populations. In the past, genomics research involving indigenous groups faced criticism due to poor community engagement or lack of benefit-sharing. The current initiative addresses this by ensuring ethical collection, community consultation, and data sovereignty – empowering Sarawakian communities to participate actively in research that affects their future. 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