THREE PASSENGERS ON FLIGHT MH091 TESTED NEGATIVE FOR H1N1

KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 (Bernama) -- Three passengers on the Malaysia Airlines
(MAS) flight MH091 from Newark, New Jersey to KLIA via Sweden on May 13, who
were having fever had been tested negative for the H1N1 virus.

The three passengers were a woman, who was quarantined at the Sultanah
Aminah Hospital (HSA) in Johor Baharu city in Peninsular Malaysia's southern
Johor state on Sunday afternoon after she developed fever, and another woman and
a man who were admitted to the Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching in East
Malaysia state of Sarawak.

In JOHOR BAHARU city, State Health Department director Dr Mohd Khairi Yakub
said that the woman was now placed in an open ward and expected to be discharged
soon.

The woman had been on home quarantine with three other passengers, two men
and a woman, in Johor Baharu since Friday before she developed fever.

"The three other passengers are being home quarantined until Wednesday," he
said.

They were among 119 passengers on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH091 from
Newark, New Jersey, where two passengers were then confirmed positive for
influenza A(H1N1).

Meanwhile, Dr Mohd Khairi said two foreigners, who were vacationing at one
of the islands in Johor, had been quarantined at their hotel since Saturday.

He said they had yet to show any symptoms of the viral infection but the
health department would be monitoring them closely.

In KUCHING city, the two passengers of flight MH091 who were admitted to the
Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), a man and a woman in their 20s, were cleared
after tests howed that they had not been infected by the H1N1 virus, said
Sarawak Housing and Public Health Assistant Minister Dr Soon Choon Teck.

The woman, who was admitted to the SGH's isolation ward on Saturday and the
man Sunday after both developed a fever, were among nine passengers from
Sarawak who boarded flight MH091.

"There is no more suspected H1NI cases at present," Dr Soon told reporters
on the sidelines of the State Legislative Assembly sitting.

Dr Soon said the remaining seven passengers were now under home quarantine
for seven days.

He said the authorities had successfully traced all the nine passengers from
the state, who were told to seek treatment immediately if they felt unwell.

In northern PENANG state, A man and his son who were suffering from fever
after returning from Brazil had been released by the Penang General Hospital
(PGH), here Monday.

The State Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman
Phee Boon Poh said both of them had sought treatment from a private hospital
Sunday before being referred to the PGH Monday.

"The medical check-up at PGH shows that they were suffering a common fever
and the symptoms were not of influenza A (H1N1)," he told Bernama when contacted
here Monday.

He said both of them were on a flight from Brazil which transited in New
York in the United States and Singapore before arriving in Malaysia.

He said both were admitted around 10am before they were allowed to go back
about two hours later.

In SHAH ALAM city, the Chairman of the State Committee on Health, Dr Xavier
A. Jayakumar said the Selangor Health Department was tracking down eight of the
47 passengers who were on the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH091 flight from the
state.

He said the eight comrpised four Malaysians and eight foreigners.

"Based on their last-known addresses, the eight are still in Selangor but we
are facing difficulties with the foreigners as they are on the move although
their registered residence is Selangor," he said.

Xavier said the remaining 39 passengers of MH091 from New York who arrived
at the KLIA on May 13 had been identified and were undergoing home quarantine.

In addition, he said the department had traced 18 of the 41 passengers on
Air Asia's flight AK5358 who were residing in Selangor and they were also
undergoing home quarantine.

Efforts were being taken to trace the remaining passengers of the flight
which took off from the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Sepang to Penang at
11 am on May 13, which was also boarded by the two passengers who were suspected
of being infected with the H1N1 virus, he said.

Xavier said as at 8 am Monday, the Selangor Health Department had received
84 notices of "case under investigation" for the Influenza A (H1N1) from the
Sungai Buloh Hospital and of this number, only one case had been confirmed
positive of the Influenza A (H1N1) while six were still being treated at the
hospital.
-- BERNAMA