Set up task force to deal with A (H1N1), says Mohamed Khaled

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Public universities have been advised to set up a task force to deal with any possible A (H1N1) cases.
“Although there have been no cases in public universities so far, the task force should be set up as a pre-emptive measure,” Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin told reporters after opening the fifth Asian Mathematical Conference at Putra World Trade Centre yesterday.
With as many as 15,000 new foreign students expected in the July academic intake, Mohamed Khaled urged higher education institutions to be on their toes.
He added that many of the 70,000 foreign students studying in Malaysia would return from holidays and extra attention would have to be given to those arriving from countries that have been badly hit by the virus.
In Kota Kinabalu, Universiti Malaysia Sabah senior deputy registrar Vina Zahriani said they would meet with health authorities to discuss measures that could be taken to prevent any possible spread of the virus in the university.
“If necessary, we will work with the Sabah Medical Department to set up a screening counter,” she said, adding that the university was preparing to register some 3,000 new students next week.
She said they would also work closely with airport authorities to screen students coming in from peninsular Malaysia to register for the 2009/10 intake.