Mandatory screening possible

NST: SEREMBAN: The Health Ministry may resort to mandatory screening of all passengers from selected foreign countries even before they alight from the aircraft if cases of influenza A (H1N1) continue to rise in the country.
Director-general of Health Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said if necessary, they would station health officials at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to immediately take the temperatures of all passengers onboard selected aircraft.
This will be done even before they are allowed to disembark.
"If our officials find any of the passengers with a relatively high temperature or showing any other relevant symptoms, we will take immediate action."
He said such measures were necessary as more and more cases were being diagnosed daily.
"We have to do what is necessary to curb the situation," he said after launching a book entitled The Miracle of Love by Naveen Yawanarajah here yesterday.
Dr Ismal said to date, there had been no cases of local tranmission.
"However, if we start getting reports of local transmission, we will have to implement social distancing.
"That will mean that schools may have to close."