MALAYSIAN VARSITIES NOT TAKING CHANCES WITH H1N1

KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 (Bernama) -- With four schools in Malaysia having
been shut down so far, universities are not taking any chances with the
Influenza A(H1N1) pandemic with new students set to register for the 2009/2010
academic session.

They have put in place several measures to prevent local transmission of the
disease among their student populations as well as academic staff.

Universiti Malaya (UM) vice-chancellor Prof Dr Ghauth Jasmon said UM
was monitoring its 27,000 students, including 3,000 international students, and
especially those from the high-risk countries such as the United States, Canada,
the Philippines, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand.

He said the university would make it compulsory for all students of the
first semester of the 2009/2010 academic session to complete a health
declaration form.

The university had set up an H1N1 taskforce to prepare an action plan, he
said in a statement.


He also said that the UM Student Health Clinic and University Malaya Medical
Centre were on standby to receive H1N1 cases.

Students who had to be quarantined would be sent to the UM International
House, UM staff quarters and the 11th Residential College, he said.

Dr Ghauth said the university's staff and students had been advised not to
travel abroad unless it was absolutely necessary to do so.

The university would curtail any outdoor activities and gatherings to
prevent local transmission of the disease, he said.

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has announced that it would require all new
students of the 2009/2010 session to undergo screening for Influenza A(H1N1)
prior to registration at their respective residential colleges.

UPM head of corporate communications Abdullah Arshad said in a statement
that the screening would be conducted on June 27 and 28 at the Sultan Salahuddin
Abdul Aziz Shah Cultural and Arts Centre at the university.

He said the Health Ministry had asked all public institutions of higher
learning to conduct the screening.

-- BERNAMA