Flu virus spreading in clusters, says Liow

Star: JASIN: The influenza A (H1N1) virus is spreading via clusters at institutions of higher learning and schools, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said.
Seven colleges in Malacca were ordered to close after 70 confirmed cases were discovered among students in the past week.
A religion learning centre in Kuantan and a school in Tangkak have also been closed because of the flu.
“There are only clusters at the universities, polytechnics and schools and not at the community level such as in housing estates or villages,” he told reporters after opening the Merlimau Health Clinic here yesterday.
Liow said measures taken by health authorities have so far managed to prevent the virus from spreading on a sustained basis at the community level.
“We hope the measures we have taken will enable us to control the situation,” he said.
Besides UiTM Lendu in Alor Gajah which was ordered to close on July 16, other institutions ordered to close temporarily were the Institut Kemahiran Mara Jasin, Politeknik Kota, Maktab Perguruan Perempuan Melayu, Kolej Yayasan Melaka, Kolej Professional Mara and Kolej Kejururawatan Nilam.
Liow said only nine of the 70 students were still undergoing treatment at the Malacca Hospital.
He said there were 39 new cases of the flu yesterday. There are 978 recorded nationwide H1N1 cases to date, of which 958 patients have recovered after treatment. Twenty were still undergoing treatment in hospital.
In Tangkak, SM Tun Mamat was ordered to be closed for four days after 345 students and several teachers fell ill.
In Kuantan, four students from Maahad Tahfiz Pahang, a religious learning centre in Tanjung Lumpur, on Thursday tested positive for the A (H1N1).
In Kota Kinabalu, a second school was ordered closed after a few students were suspected to have contracted influenza A H1N1.