A masked pupil going for extracurricular activities at SRJK (C) Jalan Davidson in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. An 11-year-old pupil of the school was confirmed with H1N1 after returning from vacation in Melbourne and had attended lessons on June 17. |
KUALA LUMPUR: Seven more new Influenza A (H1N1) cases, including three siblings and the second local transmission, were reported yesterday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 42.
Today, another eight new cases brought the total to 50.
Yesterday's cases included four students aged from 11 and 19 years old who contracted the influenza virus in Melbourne, Australia.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said all the cases involved Malaysians, including five who returned from Melbourne. Another came back from London, while the last was a person who came in contact with an earlier case.
A family of 11 which had gone for a vacation in Melbourne from June 10 to 16, returned home to have four of the family members developing the influenza.
Three of the children aged 11, 17 and 19, developed the symptoms while a day earlier their grandmother had been reported to be a confirmed case.
“The family returned to Malaysia on AirAsia X flight D7 2723 on June 16 and arrived at the LCCT without any symptoms,” Dr Ismail said in a statement posted on the ministr y’s website.
The 11-year-old had, on June 17 and 18, gone to school at SRJK (Cina), Jalan Davidson in Pudu here.
She began coughing on June 17 and the next day was admitted to Kuala Lumpur Hospital and was confirmed to have the H1N1 influenza.
“The ministry is also tracing 47 students (the classmates of the 11-year-old) to place them under quarantine. Four students who travelled in the same car (with the 11-yearold) to school have also been quarantined.” One of the older children is a student at Seri Cempaka International School, Batu 9, Cheras, Selangor. His 26 classmates have been quarantined at home from June 18 for seven days.
Those who came in contact with the family have also been quarantined since Friday.
Dr Ismail said a 22-year-old was confirmed to be the second local transmission case on Friday after he came into contact with an earlier victim and had since been warded at Sun - gai Buloh Hospital.
He said the other case involved a 14-year-old student who had visited Melbourne between June 10 and 14.
She returned home on Air- Asia X D7 2723 on June 14 and began showing symptoms the next day. She was admitted to Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang on Thur sday.
Another case is a Malaysian stewardess with Singapore Airlines who was on flight SQ308 flying from London to Singapore on June 14, and flight SQ309 from Singapore to London on June 17.
The 27-year-old returned home to Penang on Malaysia Airlines flight MH358 on June 17 at 8am and began showing symptoms of the influenza on Thursday. She sought treatment at Penang General Hospital on Friday. The persons she came in contact with in her home have also been quarantined.
Dr Ismail said the other case involved a pharmaceutical agent who was in Melbourne between June 6 and 14.
She returned home on Air- Asia X flight D7 2723 and began showing symptoms of H1N1 on Thursday and was admitted to Penang General Hospital and was confirmed positive on Friday.
“The patient began coughing while she was in Australia (but) did not have any fever.
Her three other family members have been quarantined.” Out of the 42 cases, 30 were still receiving treatment at Sungai Buloh Hospital (12), Kuala Lumpur Hospital (8), Tuanku Jaafar Hospital, Seremban (3), Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, Klang (two), Penang Hospital (two), one each at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu; Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital, Ipoh; and Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital, Kuantan.
Meanwhile, Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (SRJK) Cina Jalan Davidson has become the first school to be temporarily closed due to Influenza A(H1N1) after a third pupil from the school, a classmate of the 11-year-old girl, was confirmed as H1N1 positive.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the school will remain closed from June 19 to June 26 as a preventive measure to avoid more pupils from being infected by the disease. He added that 2,100 students, teachers and staff from the school are required to remain at home and avoid mixing around in public throughout the school closure.
"I received information at about 2.30pm that this school had confirmed another Influenza A(H1N1) case, the third in the school, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the country to 50," he told reporters after visiting the school today.
Liow said the Year Five pupil of 5(I) class is from the same class as two others infected earlier and is the second local transmission case in the school, as the other was termed an "imported" case.
He added that both the girls who were confirmed positive were seated beside the girl who had returned from Melbourne.
"We will be monitoring the school very closely together with the teachers and Parents Teachers Association and I hope the students involved are not to be blamed by the media or public.
"Those who are quarantined should not even go for tuition or visit public areas or attend functions. The should also reduce interaction with those who are not quarantined. They should not break the quarantine rules as action can be taken against them, including a RM10,000 fine or jail or both," he said.
