INFLUENZA A (H1N1) CONSIDERED MILD DESPITE BEING CONTAGIOUS - HEALTH DG

PUTRAJAYA, May 21 (Bernama) -- Despite being contagious, Influenza A (H1N1)
has been considered mild by the World Health Organisation (WHO) because the
disease has not resulted in many deaths, Director-General of Health Dr Mohd
Ismail Merican said Wednesday.

He said that until this morning, the death toll due to the disease was 79
and the confirmed cases worldwide were 9,855.

However, the public should not be complacent as there was the fear that a
second wave could occur which would bring greater impact because of the mutation
of the virus, he told reporters here upon his return from a WHO meeting in
Geneva.

Dr Mohd Ismail said the public should not depend entirely on the government
to control the disease but play their role by exercising strict personal
hygiene.

"People should wash their hands properly, with soap and water. When sneezing
or coughing, they must cover their nose and mouth with a cloth or tissue paper
so that any virus will not spread to others," he said.

"If we practise this, there is a big chance of us controlling the disease,
not just the H1N1 flu but also other contagious diseases," he said.

Dr Mohd Ismail said WHO was still studying the virus as there were detected
cases of Influenza A (H1N1) which showed different symptoms.

"Not all patients will get a fever; 25 per cent of patients suffer from
diarrhoea instead," he said.

Dr Mohd Ismail said there were good reviews heard from the representatives
of other countries at the meeting, and they praised Malaysia for what had been
done in controlling the spread of the disease.

"They said Malaysia is very well prepared. We have done what needs to be
done efficiently, and we've been very professional in our approach, which was a
balance between panic and precaution," he said.
-- BERNAMA