FIRST LOCAL CASE OF INFLUENZA A(H1N1)

KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has recorded its first local
infection of influenza A(H1N1) involving a 17-year old female Malaysian student.

Health Ministry director-general Dr Mohd Ismail Merican in a
statement Wednesday said the girl, the 19th person positive for influenza
A(H1N1), had no history of having travelled to a country that had the flu.

He said the student had shown symptoms of cough and cold on June 14
beginning at 9pm and began developing a fever the next day and on same day went
to the University of Malaya Medical Centre and was referred to the Sungai Buloh
Hospital at 10am.

"During investigation, the 19th case reported that she was in contact with
the 12th case, a medical student who was confirmed positive for influenza
A(H1N1) on June 13. Before this she was not listed as a contact to case 12.

"This caused failure to do early monitoring and quarantine of case 19 and
caused 20 more people (contacts) to be exposed to influenza A(H1N1) infection,"
he said.

As such, Dr Mohd Ismail said, it was important that all persons confirmed
positive for the virus cooperate and provide complete information so that early
monitoring and quarantine can be done for all contacts and avoid the risk of
spread to others.

He said five more case of the influenza A(H1N1) had been detected in the
last 24 hours, including the local case, making the total 23 cases.

The 20th case was a 23-year old local public university male student who
made a study visit together with 12 students and lecturers for seven days to
Melbourne.

He returned from Melbourne aboard Air Asia X D7 2723 and landed at the Low
Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) on June 17 at 7.15am.

The 21st case was a 20-year old medical student of a Melbourne university
who returned to holiday in Malaysia aboard Malaysia Airlines MH 128 and arrived
at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on June 16 at 6am.

The 22nd case was a 54-year old man who had traveled to Manila on business
on June 9.

He returned by Malaysia Airlines MH 705 and arrived at KLIA on June 12 at
8.25pm.

The 23rd case was a female Malaysian student, 22, who arrived from
Melbourne by Air Asia X D7 at the LCCT on June 14 at 7.15am.

Dr Mohd Ismail said to identify the contacts of all the positive cases the
Health Ministry needed the cooperation of passengers, the crew and the contacts.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that till 8am June 17 the total
number of cases of influenza A(H1N1) reported was 36,346 cases with 163 deaths
in 76 countries.

--BERNAMA