-H1N1-

Wednesday July 29, 2009

Schools, colleges and NS camp closed

PETALING JAYA: Five schools, two colleges and a national service camp were ordered closed yesterday after students and trainees tested positive for the influenza A (H1N1) virus or showed signs of infection.

The affected institutions were two schools and two colleges in Malacca, and a school each in Seremban, Miri and Kota Kinabalu.

The national service camp in Bukit Mertajam was closed after 28 trainees tested positive for the virus.

In Seremban, SM Agama Dato Klana Petra Ma’amor was closed after four students tested positive, making it the second school in the state to be closed.

State Health department director Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said more than 30 students had shown symptoms of the flu since Sunday and were admitted to the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital.

“We estimate the number of students infected is higher.

“We needed to close the school as more than half the students live in hostels,” he said, adding that classes would resume on Aug 3.

In Malacca, the affected institutions were SM Munshi Abdullah in Batu Berendam and SM Teknik Bukit Piatu in Bukit Baru, as well as Kolej Profesional Mara Ayer Molek and Malacca Hospital Nursing College.

State health director Dr Ghazali Othman said the closure order was issued after groups of 30 to 50 students from the respective schools and colleges showed flu-like symptoms.

“We decided to take action, although it has yet to be positively confirmed as A (H1N1),” he said yesterday.

A total of nine schools and colleges in the state have been closed as of July 16.

In Miri, SMK Chung Hua Miri was ordered closed for a week after a student was suspected of being infected with the virus.

School senior assistant Albert Ong said the 2,480 students and 150 staff members had been asked to stay at home until Aug 3.

In Kota Kinabalu, the state Health department ordered SJK Shan Tao closed for a week after three students tested positive for the virus.

In George Town, state Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said 260 trainees at the national service camp in Machang Bubok, Bukit Mertajam were advised to be quarantined at home after 28 infections were confirmed.

In Kuala Lumpur, Universiti Putra Ma-laysia will start its mid-term break today, two weeks earlier than scheduled, to control the spread of the virus among its students.

Four students have tested positive for the virus so far.

#HARY#

posted by 5 Science 1 @ 12:30 AM