Friday, May 29, 2009

A (H1N1): 14 cases investigated

PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry's National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) has received notification of 14 cases of influenza A (H1N1) admitted to the isolation wards at three hospitals for investigation as at 8am Friday.

Director-General of Health Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said that 10 of the cases were tested negative while four others were awaiting results.

"So far, a total of 310 cases had been admitted to the isolation wards for investigation where 304 were tested negative and two were confirmed positive for H1N1.

"The two positive cases were those reported on May 15 and 16," he said in a statement here.

He said seven people who were being quarantined at home were also in good health.

Two of them were reported to have been in contact with the H1N1 patient in Taiwan on May 24 and were quarantined until Sunday while five others reported to be in contact with a patient in Singapore on May 26 were quarantined until Tuesday, he said.

Dr Mohd Ismail said Malaysia had been declared free from local transmission of H1N1 and the public as well as the foreign tourists need not worry about the pandemic.

He said that according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the number of countries which have officially reported cases of H1N1 infection remained at 50.

However, in just 24 hours, 101 new cases were reported worldwide, making a total of 14,772 laboratory confirmed cases.

The increase occurred in four countries Australia with 80 cases, Mainland China (two), Hong Kong (three), Japan (four) and South Korea (12). The death toll remained at 96.

He said that within the last 24 hours too, a total of 22,620 individuals arriving from the four countries had been screened at air, sea and land entry points. "Only one suspected case was found at the airport and has been referred to the hospital for further examination," he added.

So far, he said, the cumulative passengers screened at the entry points numbered 244,315, with 196,992 people (80.6 per cent) screened at the airports, 13,488 (5.5) at ports and 33,835 (13.8) at land entry points.

"Of the total passengers, 56 suspected cases of H1N1 were referred to the hospital for investigation," he added. - Bernama

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