TIGHT SCREENING NEEDED TO CHECK SPREAD OF H1N1, SAYS PM

SHAH ALAM (Malaysia), May 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysia needs to impose very
tight screening on passengers arriving at airports especially on those coming
from the United States and several other countries affected by the influenza A
(H1N1) pandemic, Prime Minister Najib Razak said Saturday.

"The problem with an open economy like ours is that it makes this more
difficult as they could be coming from anywhere and not necessarily where they
initially started their journey," he told reporters here when asked to comment
on the two confirmed cases of the disease which surfaced in the country.

Deputy Director-General of Health Dr Ramlee Rahmat at a press conference in
Putrajaya earlier today had confirmed that a second case was detected at the
northern Penang state Hospital on Friday and it involved a student who returned
from the United States on May 13.

The student, a friend of another student first detected with the disease,
who has been quarantined at the Sungai Buloh Hospital near here, was on the same
flight (MH091) from Newark, New Jersey that arrived at the KLIA the same day.

Najib said Malaysia needed to respond quickly to be on top of the problem to
ensure the disease did not spread in the country.

"All those on the same flight must also report to the health authorities
immediately even if they are not showing any symptoms to be given the all
clear," he said.

Asked if a foreign travel ban would be imposed on Malaysians, he
said:"No...none as yet."
-- BERNAMA