KUALA LUMPUR, 15 June 2009: Five new cases of Influenza A(H1N1) have been detected in the country, bringing the total number of cases to 17.
The director-general of health, Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican, said all were “imported” cases.
The 17th case was a 26-year-old Malaysian woman who went for a holiday in Melbourne, Australia on 4 June and arrived back on AirAsia X flight D7 2723 on 13 June at 7.15am at the LCCT in Sepang, he said in a statement today.
The woman, who showed influenza symptoms yesterday and was warded at the Sungai Buloh Hospital, was confirmed to have Influenza A(H1N1) at 12.35pm today.
Dr Mohd Ismail said the 16th case was 14-year-old female student, a permanent resident of the US, who came to Malaysia to visit her relatives in Sabah.
The student arrived in Kota Kinabalu on Malaysia Airlines flight MH385 from Hong Kong on 13 June at 6.10pm.
She was screened and confirmed to have fever and cough at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport and was referred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where she was confirmed to have the viral disease at 12.17pm today.
Dr Mohd Ismail said the ministry was trying to trace all those, including the crew members and passengers on AirAsia flight D7 2723 and on MH385 on 13 June for follow-up action. They can contact the ministry at 03-8881 0200 or 03-8881 0300 for advice.
In an earlier statement today, he disclosed that the 13th case was a 12-year-old Malaysian boy who went on a holiday in Manila, the Philippines for five days from 8 to 13 June with three family members.
“The boy, whose seat number was 15E, arrived on flight MH705 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on 13 June at 7.05pm,” he said.
Dr Mohd Ismail said the boy was detected and confirmed to have fever and cough during screening at KLIA and was then warded at Sungai Buloh Hospital.
He was confirmed to have Influenza A(H1N1) at 3.30pm yesterday and given anti-viral treatment, while his parents and sister whom he had close contact with were quarantined.
The 14th infected case is a 25-year-old British tourist who arrived in Malaysia on 8 June at 9.35am on flight EK342 from Dubai.
The tourist had spent the night at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur before leaving for Tioman Island on Berjaya Air flight J8190 (seat 5A) the next day at 2.30pm from Subang Airport.
In Tioman, he stayed at a hotel in Mukut. On 10 June, he started having fever before seeking treatment at the Tekek health clinic on 13 June. He was then taken by boat to Tanjung Gemuk, Rompin at 7.30pm the same day and referred to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan.
Dr Mohd Ismail said the tourist was confirmed to have Influenza A(H1N1) at 3.57pm yesterday, was given anti-viral treatment, and was reported to be in stable condition. “His girlfriend and closest contact in Tioman was placed under quarantine and is in good health,” he said.
The 15th case is a 16-year-old Malaysian male student who arrived in the country for a vacation on 13 June at 7.30pm on Jetstar Airlines flight 3K687 (seat 4A) via Singapore.
The teenager, who is studying in Melbourne, had flown to Sydney on 9 June and then to Singapore on Qantas flight QS319 (seat 30D) before arriving in Malaysia.
Dr Mohd Ismail said the student sought treatment at the Ampang Hospital yesterday and was then referred to Sungai Buloh Hospital where he was confirmed to have the disease at 1.43am today.
“The investigation shows that he began having a cough and fever on 9 June. He is in stable condition while his mother, who was on the same flight from Singapore, is under quarantine,” he said.
Dr Mohd Ismail advised the public to postpone travel to countries with Influenza A(H1N1) outbreak unless it was unavoidable, to curb the spread of the viral disease. — Bernama
