Number of cases reaches 50

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Four students and a graduate were among the eight new H1N1 influenza cases reported in the last 24 hours, bringing to 50 the number of infections in the country.
The eight new cases included two local transmissions -- two Year Five pupils of SJK (C) Jalan Davidson who contracted the virus from their classmate who had returned from Melbourne on Tuesday.
One of the pupils showed symptoms on June 19 and was admitted to the Sungai Buloh Hospital the next day, while the other pupil has been admitted to Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
Two other cases involving students were also detected -- a Year Five pupil of Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Assunta 2, Petaling Jaya, and a Form Four student of Sekolah Menengah Section 9, Shah Alam.
Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said the Assunta 2 pupil (designated as case 43) was also in Melbourne between June 4 and 14 for a holiday, while the Form Four student (case 45) came down with the flu after returning from the United States on Monday.
The Form Four student's sister (case 47) and another family member (case 28) were also infected. They went to the US with another family member.
They returned to KLIA on June 15 via Korea Airlines flight KE671.
Dr Ismail urged both schools to contact the district health department to enforce a seven-day quarantine for classmates of the infected pupils.
The bank where Case 47 works at has been urged to contact the Federal Territory Health Department to trace the people whom the 22-year-old may have come into contact with.
Among the other new cases were a University of Toronto graduate (case 48) who attended his convocation in the Canadian city. The 21-year-old had also flown to KLIA on Korea Airlines flight KE 671, before returning to his hometown of Alor Star on Firefly flight FY 2168 on June 14.
"Three of his five contacts have been admitted to the hospital's isolation ward for fever, while the other two have been placed under home quarantine," Dr Ismail said.
The sole foreigner detected with the disease yesterday was from Thailand.
The sailor, 33, of a cargo ship, arrived at Port Klang on Friday. The ship crew has been quarantined since Wednesday.