17 INFLUENZA A(H1N1) SUSPECTS ISOLATED AT EIGHT HOSPITALS

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Bernama) -- As of 8am Wednesday morning, 17
notification cases were admitted at isolation wards for 24 hours in eight
hospitals, for suspected influenza A(H1NI) tests.

Eight are warded at the Sungai Buloh Hospital (Selangor), three at Tuanku
Ja'afar Hospital (Seremban) and one each at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Sultanah
Bahiyah Hospital (Alor Setar), Melaka Hospital, Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital
(Kuantan), Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital (Kota Baharu) and Raja Permaisuri
Bainun Hospital in Ipoh.

"From the 17 notifications, 13 showed negative results following tests
conducted by the Institute of Medical Research (IMR) while four others are
awaiting their results," director-general of Health Dr Mohd Ismail
Merican said in a statement here Wednesday.

He added that the 17 cases reported yesterday were also negative.

Dr Mohd Ismail said one of the two Malaysians on board flight BR007, from
San Francisco to Taipei on May 24 was positive for influenza A(H1N1) and the two
continued their journey to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines flight MH069 and
when they arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, they were placed
under 'home quarantine'.


"They are in good health but as a precaution they will be quarantined until
May 31," he said.

Dr Mohd Ismail said Malaysia remained with two cases that were reported on
May 15 and 16 and there has been no transmission in the country.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) meanwhile, added the Czech Republic in
the list of 47 countries identified with the influenza A(H1NI) cases involving
13,434 confirmed cases throughout the world.

The WHO said that over the past 24 hours, countries that reported new cases
were Argentina (17), Australia (33), Canada (116), Chile (138), Colombia (3),
Costa Rica (5), Ecuador (14), France (3), Ireland (1), Italy (4), Japan (5),
Mexico (367), Peru (2), Spain (2), United Kingdom (47) United States (212),
China (1), Hong Kong (1).

Out of the confirmed cases of influenza A(H1N1), five have been reported to
have died, three in Mexico and one each in the United States and Canada, raising
the number of deaths to 96, said WHO.


Dr Mohd Ismail said over the past 24 hours, 10,769 passengers who arrived
from the countries listed under WHO by air, sea or land, had been screened and
only one passenger had been referred to the hospital.

As for the influenza A/H3, Dr Mohd Ismail said 77 students from Maktab
Rendah Sains MARA in Kuantan were placed under observation.

From 115 cases, 38 had been released from observation while no new cases
were reported, he said.

"The medical team will continue monitoring the situation till Thursday," he
said.

Lab tests have confirmed that the situation was caused by the influenza A/H3
virus A which is a seasonal disease, he said.

-- BERNAMA