MALAYSIA TO ACTIVATE INTER-MINISTERIAL INFLUENZA PANDAMIC COMMITTEE

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry will activate the
inter-ministerial Influenza pandemic committee that coordinates all efforts to
prevent the outbreak of the H1N1 in the country, Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai
said.

He said action would be taken following the declaration by the World Health
Organisation (WHO) tonight, which indicated that H1N1 was now a global pandemic
following an emergency meeting at the world health body's headquarters in Geneva
Thursday.

"Following the decision by WHO that raised the alert level from phase 5 to
6, the government has to increase our level of preparedness. We are initiating
an inter-ministerial Influenza pandemic committee which I will chair," he told
Bernama, here Thursday night.

According to WHO website, this is the first time the body has declared a
global influenza pandemic in its 40 years' history.

The last flu pandemic was in 1968-69 after an outbreak of the H3N2 viral
strain, which orignated in Hong Kong, and went on to kill at least a million
people worldwide. Ordinary flu kills about 250,000 to 500,000 people a year.
-- BERNAMA