GOVT ADVISES POSTPONING TRIPS TO MEXICO, CANADA, U.S.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) -- The government has advised Malaysians to
postpone trips to Mexico, Canada and several states in the United States such as
New York, California, Texas, Kansas and Ohio in view of a swine flu outbreak
there.

Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said the World Health Organisation (WHO) had
not imposed any restriction on travel to those places but the people had to be
careful so as to prevent the spread of the disease which has already claimed
more than 100 lives in Mexico.

"If they do not have important matters to attend to, they should wait until
the situation in those countries permitted their travel there," he told
reporters after witnessing the handing over of the Joint Commission
International (JCI) accreditation to the Prince Court Medical Centre, here.

He said the authorities were cooperating with WHO to introduce preventive
measures and added that the Health Ministry had contacted the relevant agencies
including the Veterinary Services Department to monitor the situation and
prevent the spread of the disease and was looking into a suitable vaccine.

"We have the normal influenza vaccine but for the current H1N1 strain (of
swine flu), we have to study the suitable vaccine to be used," he said, adding
that the suitable vaccine would be supplied to the pig breeders for their
livestock.

Liow said the people monitoring the disease, such as doctors, nurses,
policemen and military personnel, would be administered the seasonal influenza
vaccine.

He said the ministry would conduct checks at all entry points of the country
on visitors and Malaysians who had visited Mexico, Canada and New York,
California, Texas, Kansas and Ohio in the United States since April 17.

Information on the disease can be obtained by contacting 03-88810200 or
03-88810300 or surfing www.moh.gov.my.

Later, at the KL International Airport in Sepang, Liow visited the health
examination counter, and said thermographic gadgets would be installed at the
main entry points of the country by this week as a preventive measure.

He said the gadget would facilitate a health examination without the need
for a manual process.

"The ministry is in the process of buying the gadgets. We had loaned them
during the avian flu epidemic several years ago," he told reporters.

Liow also said that visitors flying in from the United States, Canada and
Mexico would be required to complete a form if they showed signs of having
fever, cough and difficulty breathing.

"These people will be given treatment to ascertain their health status," he
said, adding that the Serdang and Putrajaya hospitals had been turned into
quarantine centres for the purpose.

On Monday, two flights were scheduled to arrive from New York and Los
Angeles at 6.45am and 12.15pm respectively, carrying 203 passengers.
-- BERNAMA