Updated 2.33pm, 19 May 2009
SEPANG, 19 May 2009: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today urged passengers onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH091 and AirAsia flight AK5358 to come forward and seek treatment.
“I hope that those who were on the two flights will come forward for treatment for their own safety and health,” he told reporters after visiting the KL International Airport (KLIA) here today.
Flight MH091 from Newark Airport in the United States had carried two passengers who were found to have contracted the Influenza A(H1N1) virus.
One of them later took flight AK5358 from the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal to Penang.
Health Deputy Director-General Datuk Dr Ramlee Rahmat said yesterday that the Health Ministry was still looking for 69 passengers of flight AK5358 and 17 passengers of flight MH091.
Ramlee said that other passengers of both flights, who had undergone check-ups, were tested negative for the virus.
Muhyiddin also urged Malaysians abroad to follow the advice and take note of all the warnings issued by the World Health Organization and health authorities.
Asked whether they should come back, Muhyiddin said it would be up to them but what was important was to pay heed to the advice from health authorities on how to protect themselves from infection.
“I hope that they will take the necessary precaution,” he said.
Asked whether the 20 thermal scanners installed at entry points throughout the country were enough to screen arriving passengers, Muhyiddin said, they were sufficient to deal with the present situation.
“Of course, if there is a need for additional scanners, the ministry can submit a request to the government,” he said.
Muhyiddin said he was satisfied with the measures taken by the Health Ministry and other agencies in handling the situation.
“They have taken all the necessary precautions to make sure the epidemic is kept at bay,” he said.
He also hoped that hospitals, clinics and private medical practitioners to cooperate with one another in the early detection of Influenza A(H1N1).
“All frontliners have been equipped with the necessary protection and also guidelines on how to perform their tasks. Don’t take things for granted,” he said. — Bernama
