GEORGE TOWN: Penang has stepped up keeping a close eye on the Influenza A outbreak after 18 students from two classes in SRJK (C) Li Hwa in Butterworth contracted the strain in the span of one week.
As a precautionary measure, the state public health authorities have given home-leave to all the students from the two classes for 11 days and ordered that the entire school be sanitised for fear of spreading the highly contagious bug.
According to medical reports, the virus originated from birds and some mammals before it mutated and began to affect humans.
State health committee chairman Dr Afif Bahardin confirmed the cases in a press conference, saying that the flu outbreak has been endemic in Penang for a while and that his own child had recently contracted the virus.
He said transmission of the virus seems to affect more adolescents and that the role of pediatricians during this time is especially important.
Proper reporting and notification on the outbreak have been communicated to all public health facilities as well as private medical practitioners, he said.
“I do not have the figures on the number of cases that have been detected but the local health authorities are working on it and responding to it.”
He called for parents to be vigilant and constantly monitor the health of their children, especially their respiratory systems.
Unlike the common cold, the influenza A variant which tends to mutate easily and faster compared to other variants, usually starts with a sudden onset of symptoms like coughing, stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, fever, headache, fatigue, chills and body aches.
Afif said he has been told there is adequate medication to combat the spread as health authorities have stockpiled vaccines to be administered if the outbreak becomes severe.
According to Afif, the best prevention measures to take are by getting flu inoculations, washing hands regularly, avoiding large crowds, wearing face masks and staying indoors if a fever develops.
Afif will liaise with the state public health department for further updates.
In the meantime, he says there is no directive to screen passengers at entry points into Penang, as the virus is believed to have originated from a domestic source.
Down south in Johor, state health director Dr Aman Rabu said so far, there are no signs of an outbreak but monitoring is ongoing to ensure that the situation remains under control.
