WHO EXPERTS TO STUDY MALAYSIA INFLUENZA A (H1N1) DEATH RATE

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 (Bernama) -- Three experts from the World Health
Organisation (WHO) are to study the mortality rate due to the influenza A(H1N1)
in the country as the death toll rose to 68 on Thursday.

Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said Malaysia had requested the
WHO to send three epidemiologists to look into the H1N1 deaths, especially why
some patients developed pneumonia so fast and died in a short period.

"They would study the classification of the death due to H1N1. Some died due
to co-morbid (presence of more than one disease or health condition in an
individual at a given time) causes and some die from direct infection. We want
them to look into the classification of death for H1N1 so that we will not over
report or under report.

"This is to ensure that we can set a fair comparision as we have already
adopted the WHO's guideline on this matter. The WHO will look into our death
cases and observe the situation.

"The epidemiologists arrived here Aug 19 and have already started
their work Aug 20," he told Bernama.

Health Ministry statistics showed that of the 68 deaths, 70 per cent were
due to co-morbid causes, 20 per cent due to late treatment and 10 per cent,
mostly involving children, are direct infections.

Liow said the WHO experts would also study the spread of the H1N1 at the
community level to determine why the virus spread so fast in this country
compared with others.

According to health experts, the age group most likely to contract A
(H1N1) flu is between five and 24.

However, some experts said the number of Influenza A(H1N1) deaths in
Malaysia may be higher than that of its neighbours, but the fatality rate of
people with confirmed H1N1 is not remarkably high.

Dr Christopher Lee, consultant physician and head of infectious diseases at
the Sungai Buloh Hospital, during a recent briefing to the media, said this was
especially when one considered WHO estimation that 15-20 cases went unreported
for every case of confirmed A(H1N1).

Following this, it is understood that the Health ministry has requested the
WHO's help to study the death rate and come up with a fair compa rision
to ensure that it does not under-report or over-report cases.

-- BERNAMA