Nah.. baca nie...!!!!

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's top health official Friday confirmed the country's first case of Influenza A (H1N1) amid fears that some of those exposed to the infected patient could have gone on to Indonesia.

"I can confirm (that it) is the first case in Malaysia," health ministry director general Ismail Merican told AFP.

Acting health minister Kong Cho Ha, who addressed a hastily-convened press conference later, said the patient was a 21-year-old male student who arrived on a flight from the United States on May 13, giving no further details on his identity.

He said the patient came down with fever, sore throat and body aches the next day and was admitted to the Sungai Buloh quarantine facility in central Selangor state on the same evening and is now in stable condition.

He said five family members who live with the patient have been placed under home quarantine in order to monitor their condition.

The government has urged all passengers who travelled on Malaysian Airlines flight MH091 from Newark in the United States to Kuala Lumpur, that landed at 7.15am on May 13 to contact the ministry for further instructions.

"No passengers have been quarantined, we are still trying to trace them," Kong said of the 199 passengers and crew onboard the flight. "We will segregate them (when located). If they have no signs (of the disease) they can go after a certain number of days," he added.

However, he said there was a fear that some of those exposed to the infected patient may have gone on to Indonesia.

"We mention Indonesia because that flight is a code share with (Indonesian carrier) Garuda so the assumption is that there could be some passengers going to Indonesia," he added.

Officials could not immediately confirm how many Indonesians were on board nor if any passengers continued onto Indonesia.

Kong said Malaysia's alert level would remain the same despite its first confirmed H1N1 flu case as the country was already at its highest state of preparedness since the World Health Organisation raised its flu alert to phase five out of six.

"We have been on full alert," said Kong. "We are on a level of full preparedness."

Malaysia is also pushing for the WHO to get affected countries to implement exit screening in order to stop the spread of the disease amid concerns that a second wave of the H1N1 disease could be deadlier.

"If we can have travellers from affected countries screened before they are allowed to travel out, this will help us to contain the spread of such virus to other places," health minister Liow Tiong Lai told state media before heading off for the 62nd WHO General Assembly in Switzerland from May 18 to 22.

The world health body has not recommended travel restrictions following the outbreak but has advised those who are ill to delay their travel plans and urged returning travellers who fall ill to seek medical treatment.

Health officials could not immediately confirm if Malaysia would be implementing exit screening after confirming its first H1N1 case.

On Tuesday, the government urged its citizens to defer travel to the US, Mexico, Canada, Spain and Britain following reported cases of H1N1 flu in those countries.

Malaysian health authorities have installed 20 thermal scanners at the country's entry points to help detect cases with 9,324 passengers screened so far.

The latest World Health Organisation figures show the number of laboratory-confirmed H1N1 flu cases worldwide is 7,520 in 33 countries. A total of 65 people have died from the disease, most of them in Mexico, WHO figures show.

- AFP/so/ir

KaDuS Bilang:
Sia ingat nda akan sampai sini Malaysia... tapi by God will, apa apa pun buli jadi... hmmm. Let's hope it will not become a pandemic. Malaysia was 'prepared' for this, according to our Health Minister, tapi how prepared we are, let's see how they deal with this... okay... see you soon...

The Swine Flu, officially the Swine influenza A (H1N1) virus, is spreading rapidly around the world. Here’s a guide to what’s going on, what you can do and where to stay updated on the situation.

The Situation

The contagious virus has been identified on several continents, including North America (Canada, Mexico, United States) and Europe (Spain) and suspected cases in Australia and South America. Read the latest says there is a suspected cases in Hong Kong and South Korea. Ni yang sia terbaca lah...

Swine Flu is responsible for at least 149 deaths (update: 152), all in Mexico, where it is said to have started.

In the United States and Canada, Swine Flu has been confirmed in New York City, Ohio, Kansas, Texas, California, Nova Scotia and British Columbia, with possible cases in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana and Michigan.

In Europe, Swine Flu has been confirmed in Spain and the U.K. (Scotland) and are under investigation in the Czech Republic, Denmark and Russia.

Cases are also being investigated in Israel, Colombia, Chile, Australia and New Zealand.

Click for complete map of outbreaks

What’s being done

The U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) is working very closely with officials in states where human cases of Swine Flu have been identified, as well as with health officials in Mexico, Canada and the World Health Organization.

A public health emergency has been declared in the United States.

The CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile is releasing one-quarter of its antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to help states respond to the outbreak.

Laboratory testing has found the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir.

The Virus

Symptoms of swine flu are like regular flu symptoms. That includes:

• fever
• cough
• sore throat
• body aches
• headache
• chills
• fatigue

Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu.

How it spreads

The virus spreads the same way a typical seasonal flu does, via coughs, sneezes (within a few feet) or touching something with the flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes. An infected person can pass it on before they even develop symptoms. The incubation period for most flu viruses is 3 to 5 days, and the period for swine flu is disputed, and has been reported as anywhere from 1-5 days.

There is no evidence yet that this year’s seasonal flu vaccine will protect against the swine flu.

You cannot get swine flu from eating pork products.

You cannot get Swine Flu by eating fruits or vegetables from Mexico. Influenza Viruses are not food-borne.

What you can do

If you believe have flu symptoms, stay home. When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Throw out used tissues and wash your hands. If you’ve got flu symptoms and you’ve recently been to a high-risk area such as Mexico see your doctor.

Your doctor may not be able to determine whether you have swine flu, but he or she would take a sample from you and send it to a state health department lab for testing. Your doctor may write you a prescription for Tamiflu or Relenza, but neither is required, as Swine Flu patients have recovered without medication.

If you were immunized with the Swine Flu vaccine in 1976, it probably won’t protect you now.

Where to stay up-to-date

• Watch your local broadcast news channel (CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, FOX) for live updates and Q&A sessions
• The CDC’s official page on Swine Flu
• A Google Maps mashup tracking confirmed cases, suspect cases, deaths and false alarms worldwide
• WebMD’s Swine Flu FAQ, which includes more details about symptoms
• A Q&A on CNN including history of previous Swine Flu outbreaks
• The World Health Organization’s Swine Flu homepage, which is updated
• 2009 Swine Flu Outbreak Wikipedia page, which may be updated before news organizations
• See all posts on Twitter tagged “#swineflu”
• Google.org’s Flu Trends page