Aussie student is Malaysia's 7th influenza A victim

Malaysia confirms its seventh positive Influenza A(H1N1) case, involving an Australian student who is in the country with her mother to visit their relatives.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican, in a statement today, said the student and her mother arrived at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Sepang on board Air Asia flight X D7 2723 from Melbourne at 7am yesterday.

"She was found to be having a high temperature during screening using the thermo-scanner at LCCT, and from further checks by the health team there found that she had been having fever, coughing and sore throat a day before arriving in Malaysia," he added.

He said the student was referred to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital at 8.15am and admitted to a special ward there, adding that she was confirmed a influenza A(H1N1) case at 10.34pm the same day.

She was given anti-viral treatment and was now in stable condition, he added.
Dr Mohd Ismail said the student's mother, who did not have symptoms of being infected by the virus, had been placed under house quarantine.

He urged those who were in the same flight with the student, especially those seated near her to contact the Health Ministry at 03-88810200 or 03-88810300 between 8am and 9pm.

There were 258 passengers on the flight and the student''s seat was 31A, he added.

He said currently, 143 contacts were being placed under house quarantine and all of them were in good health.

Malaysia reported its sixth positive Influenza A (H1N1) case yesterday - a Malaysian student in New York who returned to the country on June 3.

Dr Mohd Ismail said that according to the latest report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), two more countries -- Barbados and Saudi Arabia -- reported a confirmed Influenza A(H1N1) case in their respective countries.

So far, a total of 22,092 Influenza a (H1N1) cases, with 125 deaths, have been reported in 69 countries.