Once a week statement on H1N1

2009/10/18

KUALA LUMPUR, Sun: Press statements on the Influenza A (H1N1) will be issued on a weekly basis from now on in view of the current trend which shows a drop in the number of cases in the country.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said the statement from the ministry on H1N1 would be issued every Wednesday.

Since the outbreak of the H1N1 pandemic in the country, the ministry had been issuing statement on the matter on a daily basis.

Dr Mohd Ismail also said that effective tomorrow, the ministry's hotline (03-88810200 or 03-88810300)would only be operational from Monday to Friday between 8am and 5.30pm.

However, he said the public could still send their enquiries on H1N1 to the Health Ministry at cprc_h1n1@moh.gov.my and to surf the ministry''s website www.moh.gov.my or www.h1n1.moh.gov.my for latest information on H1N1.

On the current H1N1 situation, Dr Mohd Ismail said 102 new patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) were hospitalised for treatment today, while the number of discharge cases was 126.

He said there was also no new admission to the ICU today.

The current number of ILI cases still under treatment nationwide is 580 at 76 hospitals, including three private hospitals," he added.

He added that from the total ILI patients being treated, only 23 of them (four per cent) were Influenza A cases confirmed through laboratory tests, with five of them (22 per cent) in the intensive care unit (ICU).

All the five cases in the ICU had risk factors, including two children under five years of age, he added.

The death toll due to Influenza A (H1N1) remain at 77.

Globally, Dr Mohd Ismail said the H1N1 situation in the countries in the northern hemisphere, like North America, Canada, West Europe and East Asia, it was still active and showed an upward trend. -- BERNAMA

(Source: NST Online)