A(H1N1) flu: Two more schools closed
S Pathmawathy & Andrew OngPublished: Jun 23, 2009 3:58 AM | Updated: Jun 24, 2009 2:58 AM
The Health Ministry has ordered Sri Cempaka International School at Batu 9 Cheras to be closed for a week from today as a result of the influenza A(H1N1) virus.
The Health Ministry has ordered Sri Cempaka International School at Batu 9 Cheras to be closed for a week from today as a result of the influenza A(H1N1) virus.
The school had only one class stopped yesterday before a decision was made to close the whole school.
The announcement was made by Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai in Parliament this morning.
Later in the day, ministry director-general Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said SRK Assunta 1 would be closed for a week.
He disclosed that Sri Cempaka has two cases of infection among students. A 16-year-old Malaysian student had developed fever, cough and sore throat on June 20 after coming into contact with a fellow-student.
In an immediate response, Cempaka School Sdn Bhd chairperson Freida Pilus (right) said the Cheras campus, which has about 1,200 students, would be closed from tomorrow.
However, classes will continue to be conducted through the school's Virtual Learning Environment system which allows teachers and students to interact via the Internet.
Freida said this at a press conference at the school's Bukit Damansara campus, which is not affected by the ministry directive.
Sri Cempaka and SRK Assunta 1 join two schools which were ordered to close yesterday for a week - the Jalan Davidson Chinese school and SRK Assunta 2.
SRK Assunta 1 and 2 share the same premises but one school has
the morning session, while the other has the afternoon session.
Three other schools - SMK Seksyen 9 Shah Alam, SMK Damansara Utama in Petaling Jaya and SM Wangsa Maju in Kuala Lumpur - have each had one class stopped.
10 new cases today
On a related development, Liow said 10 new A(H1N1) cases were reported today, including two locally-transmitted cases.
The two local cases aside, the other eight are 'imported' and involve five Malaysians, one Yemeni, one Swiss and one Italian.
This brings the total to 68 cases to date, 59 of which were 'imported' and nine were through local transmission.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament lobby, Liow reminded the public to be extra cautious as the flu virus is a “new strain”.
“Don't take it lightly and be careful... it is very important to take care of your personal hygiene,” he said.
Liow disclosed that the government is looking into implementing more measures such as screening pupils in schools and managing home quarantine more effectively.
He also urged the public to coperate fully with the ministry, as “only then can the outbreak can be fought”.
Bernama quoted Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as saying that the government has no plan to close all schools or ban public gatherings in the Klang Valley for now.
He said the government would apply the World Health Organisation protocols in containing the spread of the virus.
"Unless there is an obvious need for it, we don't want to raise unnecessary alarm among the people," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.
The school had only one class stopped yesterday before a decision was made to close the whole school.The announcement was made by Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai in Parliament this morning.
Later in the day, ministry director-general Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said SRK Assunta 1 would be closed for a week.
He disclosed that Sri Cempaka has two cases of infection among students. A 16-year-old Malaysian student had developed fever, cough and sore throat on June 20 after coming into contact with a fellow-student.
In an immediate response, Cempaka School Sdn Bhd chairperson Freida Pilus (right) said the Cheras campus, which has about 1,200 students, would be closed from tomorrow.However, classes will continue to be conducted through the school's Virtual Learning Environment system which allows teachers and students to interact via the Internet.
Freida said this at a press conference at the school's Bukit Damansara campus, which is not affected by the ministry directive.
Sri Cempaka and SRK Assunta 1 join two schools which were ordered to close yesterday for a week - the Jalan Davidson Chinese school and SRK Assunta 2.
SRK Assunta 1 and 2 share the same premises but one school has
the morning session, while the other has the afternoon session.
Three other schools - SMK Seksyen 9 Shah Alam, SMK Damansara Utama in Petaling Jaya and SM Wangsa Maju in Kuala Lumpur - have each had one class stopped.
10 new cases today
On a related development, Liow said 10 new A(H1N1) cases were reported today, including two locally-transmitted cases.
The two local cases aside, the other eight are 'imported' and involve five Malaysians, one Yemeni, one Swiss and one Italian.
This brings the total to 68 cases to date, 59 of which were 'imported' and nine were through local transmission.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament lobby, Liow reminded the public to be extra cautious as the flu virus is a “new strain”.
“Don't take it lightly and be careful... it is very important to take care of your personal hygiene,” he said.
Liow disclosed that the government is looking into implementing more measures such as screening pupils in schools and managing home quarantine more effectively.He also urged the public to coperate fully with the ministry, as “only then can the outbreak can be fought”.
Bernama quoted Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as saying that the government has no plan to close all schools or ban public gatherings in the Klang Valley for now.
He said the government would apply the World Health Organisation protocols in containing the spread of the virus.
"Unless there is an obvious need for it, we don't want to raise unnecessary alarm among the people," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.
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