Sabah warned over private hospital plan

Star: KOTA KINABALU: Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai has cautioned the Sabah government about its plans to set up a private hospital as it is an expensive business.
“I would say that to build a hospital is easy but to maintain or run one is not easy.
“I will say that now, we are already short of manpower in the Government itself. It is a very expensive investment. So, they must be cautious,” Liow said.
Liow was responding to Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman’s announcement that the state was going ahead with plans to refurbish abandoned Wisma Khidmat here and convert it into a hospital at a cost of RM100mil to overcome the bed shortage at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), whose tower block had been declared unsafe.
In making it clear that the ministry had its own plans with the purchase of the Sabah Medical Centre (SMC), Liow hinted that the ministry was not keen in getting involved with the state’s plan for a private hospital to assist the QEH.
“If the state is going to build it, then the state must run it and maintain it.
“We have our own plans with the purchase of SMC,” he told reporters after officially renaming Likas Hospital to the Sabah Women and Children’s Hospital here.
He said the RM280mil purchase of the SMC building was in the final stages with the sales and purchase agreement to be signed by the end of the month.
Liow said tenders were also being called for the construction of the QEH twin tower block, which would take at the most 30 months to complete.
He said there would be an additional 600 beds available at the twin tower block.
Earlier, he said the renaming of Likas Hospital was to focus on health care for women and children in Sabah, where mortality rates were higher than the national average.
Liow said there were 28 deaths for every 100,000 mothers and this figure could reach above 60 if foreigners were taken into account.
“We want to push this figure down towards the national average of 10.8 deaths per 100,000,” he said, adding that the child mortality rate was 10.8 deaths per 1,000 births in Sabah, which the ministry hoped to reduce to 6.5 deaths per 1,000.

A(H1N1): Eight more deaths reported

Star: KOTA KINABALU: The number of deaths from Influenza A (H1N1) virus rose to 26 nationwide on Sunday with the Health Ministry confirming that eight more people have died from the deadly virus.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the deaths, which between Aug 3 to 8, were confirmed to have resulted from the deadly virus following test results. (One person died on Aug 3, two on Aug 5, four on Aug 6 and the last one on Aug 8)
He said the latest eight deaths involved mainly people in the high risk group though there was one 20-year-old college student who was found dead at her hostel about a week after obtaining outpatient treatment at a hospital.
Among the dead are two Sabahans - a 24-year-old obese woman from Ranau who died of pulmonary oedema after a bout of flu and fever while the other involved a 74-year-old man with a history of heart problem who died of pneumonia and pulmonary oedema.
The others deaths were a 47-year-old patient with asthma in Sarawak and a 37-year-old obese male who died of broncho-pneumonia at the hospital in Johor Baru.
Liow said as at Sunday, there were a total of 62 patients warded in hospitals with 13 in the intensive care units, while an additional five were waiting for test results. The Health Minister also said that in Sabah, 402 confirmed cases had been detected, with seven patients still in hospital and one in ICU.
He said 35 schools had also been closed to date.

Utar to offer medical courses soon

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman will be offering medical courses soon which the Government hopes will stem the shortage of doctors in Malaysia.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, who announced this, said that only 53% of all positions in government hospitals for doctors were taken up and the Government was forced to hire 700 contract doctors to fill the void.
He said many facilities including intensive care units and operating theatres were under-utilised because there were not enough qualified staff to run them, thus the need to increase the number of doctors.
“Facilities in local hospitals need to be expanded to cater for more housemen. Not all universities have hospitals to provide training for housemen. We have 135 hospitals but only about 50 of them can cater for housemanship.
“Our target is one doctor to 600 patients. Our current ratio is one doctor to 1,145 patients, so there is a lot of room for improvement,” he told reporters after presenting scrolls to Utar graduates during a convocation ceremony at Wisma MCA yesterday.
The convocation is being held over three days and involves 2,895 graduates.

Baby among three new A(H1N1) deaths

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Three more people including a baby and a child died of Influenza A (H1N1), bringing the death toll to 18.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the 16-month-old baby girl had fever, cough and runny nose for a week before she was admitted to hospital last Sunday.
He said the baby died of severe pneumonia with underlying A (H1N1) infection at Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru on Friday.
A five-year-old boy with upper respiratory tract infection, died of encephalitis secondary to A (H1N1) at Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan on Friday, said Liow.
He said the other flu-hit victim was a 63-year-old asthmatic patient who died of severe pneumonia and underlying pulmonary tuberculosis.
“He had fever, runny nose and cough for five days before being admitted to Selayang Hospital last Sunday.’’
Liow said the country also recorded 53 new cases, bringing the total to 1,578.
“There are still 64 people warded at the hospital including two babies, two obese persons and a post-delivery mother in the high-risk group.’’
Liow has urged the public to practise good hygiene, avoid crowded places and shun big events.
However, he said the Merdeka celebrations at Bukit Jalil National Stadium this month would be held as planned for now.
“We will screen everyone including participants of the parade and the public before they enter the stadium,’’ he said.
He also called for private medical practitioners to give out masks to flu and cough patients as part of their treatment.
“The vaccine will only arrive by the end of the year. For now, we must prevent the flu from spreading,’’ he told a press conference after opening the Japan Clinic at HSC Medical Centre here Saturday.
Liow also urged local doctors to be more competitive following healthcare liberalisation.
The liberalisation, which is taking place in stages, enables foreign companies to open hospitals and foreign doctors to work in the country.
Liow said the ministry has so far opened up five sectors.

All have role to play to contain A(H1N1), says expert

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The nation will not be able to contain the spread of the Influenza A (H1N1) virus if the public does not take preventive measures like ensuring personal hygiene and imposing self-quarantine whenever necessary.
The onus is on every individual, family and place of work to adopt such measures to help check the flu, which has claimed 18 lives in Malaysia to date.
Dr Christopher K.C. Lee, head and senior consultant physician (infectious diseases) at Hospital Sungai Buloh, said there were many things that were not yet understood about this infection and a concerted effort was needed of all parties to help the situation.
“We need to adjust the guidelines as the pandemic evolves. That can make it difficult for doctors and the public to keep up to date but this is important to ensure appropriate response,” he adds.
Dr Lee said medical experts had since learnt that the virus was transmitted by droplet-spread.
He said if the flu spread sharply, more people would be infected within a short period of time.
“If 2% of 100 patients are admitted, it is only two people; but if it is 2% of one million or 20,000, then it is a lot!”
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said those who are not warded shouldered the responsibility of not spreading the virus.
“Follow the advice of the Health Ministry. It is crucial now for all of us to work together on this – do not take this lightly.
“If you are healthy you may recover, but those in the high-risk group may not. We have to work to stop it before it is too late and goes out of control,” said Liow.

Health Ministry: Use rapid tests to check for flu

Star: PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry is encouraging the public and private sectors to use rapid screening tests for those with flu-like symptoms.
This was among the additional strategies to battle the spread of Influenza A (H1N1) and to solve the congestion in the public hospitals and clinics.
In a statement yesterday, the ministry said the World Health Organisation recommended the use of rapid tests in assisting clinical decisions and for the rapid screening of cluster outbreaks.
“It must be noted that these tests are only 70-75% accurate,” it said. As this meant a proportion of those infected might test negative, patients whose tests show a negative result should still observe all necessary precautions.
All clinics and hospitals in the public and private sectors could now treat patients suspected of having contracted A (H1N1) with oseltamvir, better known as Tamiflu.
The ministry said it would discontinue the daily reporting of the number of tested and confirmed cases in the country. However, it would continue reporting the number of admitted flu cases and deaths.
Doctors have also been told to be flexible and give patients who showed flu-like symptoms at least a three-day medical leave to minimise the risk of transmission.
Negri Sembilan Health Depart-ment director Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar, who spoke to reporters after a meeting with Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai in Port Dickson yesterday, said employers should also accept these medical certificates.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican, meanwhile, said a 40-year-old man was the latest fatality from the flu, bringing the death toll to 15.
He said the man, who was obese, was admitted into KL Hospital after suffering from breathing difficulties on Monday and died of acute coronary syndrome with cardiogenic shock (caused by the failure of the heart to pump effectively) two days later.
Johor Health department director Dr Mohd Khairi Yaakub, meanwhile, reported two deaths in the state yesterday which were not included in the national tally.
A nine-year-old girl and a 37-year-old man died at Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru yesterday.

Liow: Docs will decide on who to test for H1N1

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: There is no need for people with flu-like symptoms to be tested for the influenza A (H1N1) virus, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said.
He said it was up to the doctor to decide on the treatment of the patient.
He added that those not in the high-risk group should listen to the advice of doctors and follow the symptomatic treatment prescribed.
“The public need not worry if they are tested or not. Whether you know you have H1N1 or not, what is more important is your symptoms and health.
“We will take the initiative to test for H1N1 when we see that you are in a particular high-risk group. This is our decision now,” he told a press conference after visiting the Sungai Buloh Hospital yesterday.
Currently, he said testing was only available at the Institute of Medical Research here, Sungai Buloh and Kota Kinabalu.
“They can still go to a private hospital for testing. The University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) has testing laboratories.
“Private clinics do not have the facilities unless they use a rapid test which is not accurate. There is only 80% accuracy,” he said.
He said the three government labs could only handle a total of 1,000 tests per day, adding that the ministry was currently trying to equip state hospitals with H1N1 testing labs to cope with demand.
When asked how can people with flu-like symptoms could be treated, Liow replied:
“For those not in the high-risk group, they are still getting symptomatic treatment. The doctor will prescribe medicine but just not anti-viral medicine.
“These people need to rest, drink more water, practice social distancing and stay away from public activities. They will recover in time,” he said.
Liow said it was important for the public not to panic but they must be on high alert and vigilant on the pandemic.

Hospitals and clinics to get anti-viral drug, says Ismail

Star: PUTRAJAYA: Starting today, all government hospitals, clinics and selected private hospitals will have the influenza A (H1N1) anti-viral drug Tamiflu, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said.
He, however, cautioned that all anti-viral drugs should not be taken as a preventive measure as this could result in the virus developing resistance to medication.
“Pharmacists are also warned not to sell anti-viral drugs to the public without a doctor’s prescription,” Dr Ismail told a press conference here yesterday.
He said that besides all government hospitals and clinics, 22 private hospitals nationwide would be supplied with Tamiflu.
Private clinics would also be allowed to obtain stocks from relevant suppliers.
“The suppliers have given us the assurance that there is sufficient supply of anti-viral medication,” he said.
Dr Ismail also warned doctors not to use anti-viral drugs to prevent a person from getting the flu.
“Not only have such measures been proven ineffective, they will also cause resistance to the medication as reported in the United States, Hong Kong, Mexico, Japan, Denmark and Canada,” he said.
Furthermore, he said the move would also deplete the resources for such medication.
Dr Ismail advised doctors and healthcare practitioners to be vigilant and take precautionary measures to prevent themselves from being infected.
He said that unlike the SARS outbreak where none of the healthcare personnel were infected, the H1N1 flu had caused a few to fall ill.
The death toll from influenza A (H1N1) rose to 14 with the latest casualty being a 57-year-old pensioner who was a diabetic and suffered from hypertension.
He was warded at the Putrajaya Hospital on Tuesday and died of acute pulmonary oedema the next day.
Health authorities also recorded 16 new cases in the 24 hours before 8am yesterday, all being local transmissions, bringing the total number to 1,492.

A(H1N1): Death toll increases to 14

Star: PUTRAJAYA: Health authorities urged the public not to panic and stepped up measures to contain the Influenza A(H1N1) outbreak as the virus claimed its 14th fatality.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said that as of 8am Thursday, the death toll had reached 14, the latest casualty being a 57-year-old pensioner who was a diabetic and suffered from hypertension.
He was warded at the intensive care unit at the Putrajaya Hospital on Aug 4 and succumbed to acute pulmonary oedema on Wednesday.
Health authorities also recorded 16 new cases in the last 24 hours; all were local tranmissions with two new clusters reported. The number of people who have been infected in Malaysia stood at 1,492.
Dr Ismail also said that beginning Friday, all government hospitals, clinics and 22 private hospitals nationwide would be supplied with the Tamiflu anti-viral medication. Private clinics would be able to obtain their supply from the relevant pharmaceutical suppliers.
“The suppliers have given us the assurance that there is sufficient supply of anti-viral medication. However, I would like to warn doctors not to use the drugs as prophylaxis or medication to prevent one from getting the flu.
“This is because not only have such measures proven to be ineffective, they will also cause resistance to the medication as reported in the United States, Hong Kong, Mexico, Japan, Denmark and Canada.
“This move will also deplete the resources for such medication. Pharmacists are also warned not to sell the anti-viral drugs to the public without a doctor’s prescription,” Dr Ismail said.
Dr Ismail also said that not all who have developed flu-like symptoms need to be tested for A(H1N1) and urged the public not to panic or feel upset if hospitals send them home without taking throat swabs.
He said only those who were warded in hospitals and in high-risk groups would be tested for the flu.
“The technical commitee had decided on this because each day, the Institute of Medical Research is flooded with at least 500 applications for A(H1N1) tests and 80% to 90% are tested negative.
“We want to prevent wastage and overloading so that the institute can concentrate on detecting genuine cases and conduct tests which are more important and crucial,” he told a press conference Thursday.
Dr Ismail added that apart from conducting tests to confirm Influenza A(H1N1), the IMR was also responsible for looking for new virus strains and determining if the present virus is resistant to anti-viral medication.
He noted that so far, tests to determine both had been negative.
Dr Ismail also advised doctors and healthcare practitioners to be vigilant and take precautionary measures to prevent themselves from being infected with the flu after close contact with patients.
He added that unlike the SARS outbreak where none of the healthcare personnel were infected, the A(H1N1) flu had caused a few to fall ill.
He said the public has an important role to play to curtail the spread and must heed medical advice, especially when asked to go under home quarantine.
“One should not go out when asked to remain at home. Even when inside the house, one should confine himself to a room and strictly minimise contact with the rest of the household.
“I cannot impress enough how important it is for members of the public to be responsible and not to infect others when they are down with the flu, cough or cold, and to maintain high levels of hygiene,” he said.

A(H1N1): Four more deaths, total at 12

Star: PETALING JAYA: The Influenza A(H1N1) virus claimed four more lives, bringing the total number of fatalities in Malaysia to 12.
Three patients were a three-year-old, a 12-year-old and a 20-year old who all died at the Malacca Hospital on Aug 3, Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Ismail Merican said on Wednesday.
The fourth was a six-year-old boy who died at 2.30am Wednesday at the Batu Pahat Hospital, the second such death in Johor.
Overall, there were 16 new cases of A(H1N1) infection recorded over the past 24 hours, bringing the accumulated total in Malaysia to 1,476 since the outbreak, Ismail said in a statement from PUTRAJAYA.
He said the three-year-old girl died from severe pneumonia at 4.30pm on Aug 3 after having been confirmed to being infected with A(H1N1) at 6.19pm the previous day, reports IZATUN SHARI.
The girl. who had a history of chronic respiratory tract infection, was warded in Malacca Hospital on July 31 after developing flu and cough symptoms on July 25.
Prior to that, she had received early treatment at private clinics before being admitted to a private hospital on July 30 and later referred to Malacca Hospital.
Dr Ismail said the 12-year-old boy died from severe pneumonia at 2pm on Monday and was confirmed to have been infected with A(H1N1) at 5.50pm on Tuesday.
He said the boy, who suffered from chronic kidney failure and underwent dialysis treatment, was admitted to the hospital on Monday with a fever, cough and breathing difficulties since Aug 1.
“The 11th case involved a 20-year-old man with chronic asthma who was admitted to Malacca Hospital on Aug 2 after having fever, cough and breathing difficulties since July 31,” Dr Ismail said.
“He was admitted to the intensive care unit and confirmed to have had severe pneumonia,” he said, adding that the victim died at 2.30am on Monday and confirmed to have had A(H1N1) at 5.50pm on Tuesday.
Dr Ismail said the 16 new cases involved 10 from three new clusters and six sporadic cases.
“Of the 16 new cases, two are still being treated in wards, 11 are receiving outpatient treatment and three have died,” he said.

In JOHOR BARU, Johor Health department director Dr Mohd Khairi Yaakub said that the six-year-old boy, who was also suffering from pnemonia, died at about 2.30am on Wednesday.
“He was first admitted to a private hospital in Batu Pahat on July 26, and was later admitted to the Batu Pahat Hospital on July 30.
“He tested positive for the flu on July 31,” he said, reports FARIK ZOLKEPLI.
Dr Mohd Khairi said that Health Department personnel would monitor the conditions of the boy’s parents and other family members.
“We will treat them if they show any symptoms consistent with the flu,” he said.

In BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said his ministry was worried that the increasing haze throughout the country will worsen the spread of the A(H1N1) influenza.
The rising air pollution has resulted in an increase of respiratory ailments, a situation which will cause the sufferers to be more vulnerable to a fatal A(H1N1) virus attack, he said.
On Tuesday, the air quality in five areas reached unhealthy levels as the number of hotspots in Sumatra and Kalimantan increased drastically.
The haze has complicated an already difficult situation, Liow said, reports STEPHEN THEN.
“The A(H1N1) virus attacks the lung cells directly. It then causes serious pneunomia. Those with respiratory ailments have weaker immune systems and the attack can be more serious.
“Those with more serious respiratory ailments like asthma will have higher risks of getting a fatal A(H1N1) attack,” he told a press conference.
Liow was here in Brunei with six other Cabinet ministers to accompany Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak during the latter’s annual consultative meeting with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
Liow also warned those with even a mild case of flu to immediately isolate themselves from their family and the general public to curb the flu.

Doctors hit by H1N1, too

Star: MALACCA: Two doctors with the Malacca Hospital have been placed under home quarantine after developing the influenza A (H1N1) symptoms several days ago.
One of them, a 34-year-old woman doctor, was tested positive on Saturday. The woman doctor, who is attached to the hospital’s medical ward, developed a mild fever on Thursday night and sought treatment the following day when she developed breathing difficulties.
“I had mild fever but no other flu-like symptoms. However, I knew something was not right the following morning when I experienced shortness of breath,” she said when contacted at her home in Klebang.
The doctor, who was supposed to attend a dinner gathering at a hotel here on Saturday night, immediately got herself tested at the hospital.
“I was very anxious and wanted to know if I had the H1N1 flu before the dinner, as I did not want to spread it to others,” she said, adding that the results from a swab sample came back positive for the flu on Saturday morning.
She said she was immediately prescribed Tamiflu tablets and put under home quarantine until tomorrow (Wednesday).
“I am fortunate as I noticed changes in my breathing early on and sought help immediately. My condition showed a marked improvement immediately after taking the tablets,” she added.
State health director Dr Ghazali Othman confirmed the two doctors had been placed under quarantined.
Dr Ghazali also confirmed that more than 1,000 people had come to the hospital since the middle of last week to check if they had contracted the H1N1 virus.

Liow: Anti-viral treatment for high-risk groups

Star: PETALING JAYA: High-risk groups, including children and pregnant women, must be given anti-viral treatment if they go to hospitals with influenza-like symptoms.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the latest directive was made because these groups must be treated fast although they had yet to be confirmed with the influenza A (H1N1) virus.
“Waiting to be tested and waiting for the results could result in a delay in treatment,” said Liow, adding that the test results can be out within six hours.
To improve the identification of patients infected with the virus, Liow said a new set of guidelines would be issued to doctors on how to “increase the index of suspicion of patients with influenza A (H1N1)”.
On a doctor from the Malacca Hospital who has the virus, Liow said all doctors, as frontliners, must take the stipulated precautionary measures.
The spread of H1N1 virus could not be stopped and was inevitably in the community now and doctors for instance could also get infected outside their workplace, he added.
Liow said a meeting between ministries and all agencies involved would be held today to come up with more measures to curb the spread of the virus in the community.

In Putrajaya, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said 17 new cases were reported yesterday, which he described as sporadic or isolated.
He said seven of the new patients were treated at isolation wards, one at the intensive care unit while nine received outpatient treatment.
The total number of H1N1 cases reported in the country stands at 1,446.
Dr Ismail said 1,408 patients who contracted the flu had recovered and only 29 people were still being warded in hospital, adding that eight of them were warded in ICU as they were high-risk patients who were obese, pregnant and had low immunity.
In Ipoh, state Health Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said two new H1N1 cases were reported yesterday. They have recovered and were discharged from the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital.

A(H1N1): Death toll rises to eight

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia reported two new influenza A (H1N1) deaths yesterday, bringing the total number of people who have succumbed to the disease to eight.
The seventh victim was a 24-year-old native woman who died at the Miri Hospital’s intensive care unit, two weeks after giving birth to her first child. She was the first A (H1N1) fatality in Sarawak.
The eighth victim was a 51-year-old school teacher who died in Seremban on Sunday, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican.
The Institute for Medical Research confirmed yesterday that the teacher had contracted the virus. Her tissue samples were tested after her death.
She had taught at a school in Selangor, which was closed on July 27 following the discovery of an A (H1N1) cluster there.
The onset of the disease began on July 23, and the teacher visited a general practitioner on July 27.
She went to the Sungai Buloh Hospital on July 30, and subsequently to the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital in Seremban on Sunday after experiencing a shortness of breath. She was admitted to the intensive care unit where she died.
The native woman was warded on July 17. At the time, she was already in an advanced stage of pregnancy.
The hospital helped her deliver a baby girl a few days later. The baby is healthy and has been handed over to the father, a labourer in his late 20s.
Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam said the state had stepped up the alert level.
“Nobody can take this disease lightly any more,” he said yesterday.
The Miri Hospital has stopped children from entering the wards unless they are undergoing treatment.
The elderly are also discouraged from the wards, while smokers are barred altogether.
Hospital director Dr Uma Devi said the tighter safety measures were aimed at protecting those with a weak immune system.

Tests confirm 11-year-old boy is sixth A (H1N1) - related death

Star: PUTRAJAYA: An 11-year-old boy who died at 8.30 on Sunday in Johor Baru from an iflammation of the lung and heart was also found to have been infected by the Influenza A (H1N1) virus, making him the six death in Malaysia related to the virus.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said was admitted into the Sultanah Aminah Johor Baru Hospital on July 29 with fever but showed no other signs of having the flu.
He was rushed into ICU on July 30 and confirmed to have the virus on Aug 1, Dr Ismail said in a statement on Sunday, adding that 39 cases of the flu were reported Sunday.
The boy's death follows the death of a 10-year-old in Perak on Friday whose post mortem tests revealed that she too had the flu, Bernama reported.
This made her the confirmed fifth death for the flu in the country.
Dr Ismail said tests on phlegm taken from the girl by the Institute of Medical Research (IMR) showed that the girl from Bagan Serai, Perak had the H1N1 virus.
"According to information received, the girl had been ill since July 27 but she did not suffer from any breathing problems when she received outpatient treatment at a private clinic," he said in a statement here Saturday night.
Dr Ismail said on the night of July 28, the girl had complained of breathing difficulties and received treatment at a Bagan Serai health clinic the next day and while receiving treatment, she was in stable condition and did not complain of breathing difficulties or cyanosis and was given outpatient treatment including antibiotics and cough medicine.
However, on Friday morning at 3am, she complained of breathing difficulties, fever and cough before arriving at the Bagan Serai Health Clinic for treatment but while receiving treatment, she passed out and was pronounced dead at 5.30am.
The post mortem done at the Alor Setar Hospital revealed that she had died of severe pneumonic changes.
He added that the girl's parents had also undergone tests and cleared of any disease while her five other siblings had slight breathing difficulties but were in stable condition.
Dr Mohd Ismail added that initial investigations revealed that there were no reports of Influenza Like Illness in the area, including the school where the girl was from but the district Health Department had been asked to monitor the situation closely.
Meanwhile, Bernama also reported that six institutions in Penang would resume classes on Monday after observing a weeklong shutdown due to the Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak.
State Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the health authorities had monitored the situation closely and it was now under control.
"The six educational institutes out of 25 closed, will resume classes tomorrow while the other 19 institutions will remain closed due to cluster cases of H1N1 infection," he told Bernama on Sunday.
He also urged all institutions in the state to be on the alert for cluster cases and inform the medical centre or hospital for any suspected H1N1 cases.
As of 8am Sunday, the number of accumulated H1N1 cases recorded by the health ministry nationwide stood at 574 imported cases, 855 locally-transmitted, with a 98 percent recovery rate although six have died.

1,390 H1N1 cases now, 10-year-old could be death No 5

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Nineteen new influenza A (H1N1) cases were reported yesterday, bringing the total number in the country to 1,390. Authorities are also awaiting the post-mortem report of a 10-year-old from Bagan Serai, Kerian, to see if it was a H1N1-related death.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said there were no new confirmed influenza A (H1N1) admitted to intensive care yesterday and that one of the nine cases initially meant for intensive care yesterday had been transferred to an isolation ward.
The remaining eight cases in the intensive care units of hospitals included two obese persons, a pregnant woman and a patient with low immunity, he added.
In Perak, state health committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said the state now had 49 confirmed H1N1 cases, an increase of four since Friday.
The Teluk Rubiah National Camp in Lumut was also closed after some of its trainees showed flu-like symptoms, said Dr Mah, adding that they were waiting for confirmation on the Bagan Serai case.
The institutions that were closed on Friday are SJK (T) Simpang Lima with 12 suspected cases; SJK (T) St Mary and SK Wawasan Pekan Baru, all in Kerian, with 22 suspected cases in total; the Tegas Mesra National Service camp in Selama; and the Universiti Teknologi Petronas hostel in Seri Iskandar, Tronoh, with 192 suspected cases.
In Malacca, there were five new confirmed cases. The Malacca Hospital is still awaiting the test results of 20 suspected cases yesterday.
State health director Dr Ghazali Othman said the four of them are national service trainees from Camp Taboh Naning, while the other was from Kolej Yayasan Melaka.
He also said that the nine-year-old girl from Bachang, who was initially admitted to a hospital’s intensive care unit on July 28, was in stable condition and recovering following treatment.
Since July 9, a total of 29 higher institutions, 11 secondary schools and one primary school were ordered to close temporarily.

Ministry mulls move in bid to contain influenza A (H1N1) virus

Star: GEORGE TOWN: The Health Ministry is considering producing and distributing mobile test kits to doctors in a bid to contain the influenza A (H1N1) virus
Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said there were now three government and one private testing laboratories functioning as centres to test for H1N1 but they would be inadequate if the pandemic continued to grow.
‘‘Our hospitals and clinics will be overwhelmed by those seeking to be tested. We need to involve all health outlets to help in the test process,’’ Liow told a press conference here.
He said Malaysia was seen to be taking more stringent steps compared to developed nations such as the United States or Britain because it had been exposed to similar outbreaks in the form of the avian flu, nipah virus and other new strains of contagious diseases.
‘‘The US or Britain were not involved in fighting such outbreaks previously so they are not as experienced as we are.’’
‘‘It is better to take strong preventive measures instead of waiting to cope with an escalating outbreak. We do not want to create panic but to generate more awareness on fighting the H1N1 pandemic.’’
He confirmed that Malaysia had placed an order for 200,000 doses of the newly produced H1N1 vaccine and delivery was expected by December.
‘‘It will take time to administer the vaccine as we also need to test it at our end first.’’
He said the latest measures to fight the highly contagious flu would be unveiled after an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Tuesday.
The meeting would also involve representatives from all state governments.
‘‘We have a lot of work to do still. We need to brief many agencies and make preparations to cope with the pandemic, including allocating more hospital beds and isolation wards for it.’’

Minister blasts doctors who continue to treat pandemic lightly

Star: PETALING JAYA: Doctors must adhere to the Health Ministry’s directives on influenza A (H1N1) and be especially alert when treating patients with pneumonia, said minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
He said they must be more vigilant and careful as the world was facing a pandemic.
Liow was commenting on complaints that general practitioners and even private hospitals were not identifying and handling possible influenza cases properly.
Two of the four influenza deaths were patients who were treated by general practitioners and private hospitals.
“I am upset,” he told The Star yesterday after appearing as a guest on The Star Online Live Chat at the newspaper’s Studio V here yesterday.
A visibly angry Liow said it was common sense for any doctor to test for the virus so they would be able to exclude the possibility of individuals with severe pneumonia having A (H1N1).
Liow said the ministry had stepped up its fight against the disease.
“We hope doctors and nurses will co-operate with us.”
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said doctors who continued to ignore ministry guidelines for the flu would be hauled up by the ministry’s Disease Control director.
“We are not punishing them. We will find out why they are not adhering to guidelines,” he told a press conference after opening the National Clinical Immunology Symposium at Marriott Hotel yesterday.
He urged doctors to get computers so they could look up updated information on the guidelines relating to the disease on the ministry’s website.
Dr Ismail said doctors could not refuse patients’ request for throat swabs if their flu persisted after a few days of home quarantine.
“With normal flu, you should get better in two or three days,” he said.
He was responding to two complainants, who related their personal experience at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital where doctors and medical practitioners had refused their requests for throat swabs to be taken.
Dr Ismail said the four deaths in the country where victims delayed seeking treatment or where doctors failed to detect the infection early were sad episodes.
“It means that there was poor sense of alert,” he said.

Liow: Don’t take flu lightly

Star: PETALING JAYA: Influenza A (H1N1) in Malaysia has turned deadly and the people need to increase their guard against the disease that has claimed four lives in the country so far, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai warned.
He said the public had the impression that the influenza was not deadly and that they could easily recover from it if infected.
“That is why they do not have any urgency to take more precautionary measures. But now I want to take away the perception that it it is mild.
“The public should know that it can cause death and we already have four so far,” Liow stressed.
He had been asked what the main problem was in controlling the spread of the influenza in Malaysia during an interview in The Star Online Live Chat in Studio V at 1 Utama shopping centre here yesterday.
Liow said the public would be more compelled to take precautionary measures such as washing hands, wearing masks to prevent transmission and practising social distancing if they understood the dangers of the virus.
Nevertheless, he said the country was handling the pandemic well despite having more than 1,200 cases and the ministry had managed to slow down the transmission rate.
“We are still at a stage where the influenza is spread in clusters and not at a sustained local transmission level whereby patients are infected continuously,” Liow said.
On the possibility of a second wave hitting the world due to the coming winter season in the northern hemisphere, he said the World Health Organisation had warned against it but nobody knew what to expect.
“We do not know how it will develop, especially since it is a new virus. Currently it has a low mortality rate of 0.4 to 0.5% but its transmission is from man to man, which is very fast,” he said.
“Even at a low mortality rate, the number of deaths may increase and this is our worry. A lot is unknown and we will need to conduct more research and be prepared. We cannot take this for granted,” Liow said.
On the influenza vaccine that is expected to be ready by the end of the year, Liow said the ministry planned to purchase it for frontliners first as it was very costly to provide vaccine for the entire population.
“At the moment, it would cost us RM7mil for 200,000 doses. We will see how the pandemic spreads. If the vaccine can prevent the spread, then we will consider vaccinating everybody,” he said.
Liow added that all vaccine production firms must ensure that the medicine would be safe for consumption and that the companies should ask for a warranty or guarantee from the supplier.
“If there is even one death caused by the vaccine, the consumer can sue the company,” he said.
After the interview, Liow told The Star that the ministry would set up more laboratories to test the influenza A (H1N1) virus.
“We need more facilities,” he said, adding that labs would be set up at the state level to test for the virus.

More needs to be done to fight dengue, say experts

Star: NILAI: A gathering of the country’s top health practitioners here resulted in the Nilai Declaration of 2009, which, among others, calls on the Health Ministry and local councils to find a better way to fight the dengue scourge.
The 300 experts at the National Dengue Conference also called on the Government to encourage more scientific research into more effective ways to combat dengue.
The participants from universities, research insititutes and NGOs said environmentally-friendly ways must be found to get rid of the disease-carrying mosquito.
When closing the conference, Health deputy director-general (public health) Datuk Dr Ramlee Rahmat said the people needed to be more aware of the dangers of dengue fever as the number of cases kept on increasing.
“The ministry has formulated various strategies to fight dengue but we need the people to work with us if we are to reduce the number of cases,” he said.
Dr Ramlee said 26,446 cases and 64 fatalities were reported since January this year.
The ministry, through the National Dengue Strategic Plan (2009-2013), hoped to reduce the number of cases by 10% every year.
“Our target is that there should be no new cases in localities two weeks after the first case is reported. If there is a new case, it means that our efforts to reduce the number of cases in that locality has failed,” he said.
Asked if the authorities were working towards producing a vaccine for dengue, Dr Ramlee said such efforts were ongoing.
“I have been told that a vaccine manufacturer from the West is conducting clinical trials in Singapore and Vietnam.
“We do not know if the vaccine will work. It can take between five and 10 years before a proper vaccine can be produced,” he said.
Dr Ramlee said the most effective way for the time being was for the people to treat the menace seriously and to constantly clear potential mosquito-breeding grounds.

Clinics, hospitals on high alert for pneumonia cases

Star: PUTRAJAYA: Medical practitioners at clinics and hospitals must be on high alert on the possibility of pneumonia cases being caused by the H1N1 virus.
This was one of eight recommendations by the National Pandemic Preparedness Plan technical committee yesterday.
“Some doctors leave it to nurses to take specimens. Doctors must take them themselves. It involves diligence, responsibility and professionalism,” Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said.
He said that in the most recent case, the doctor had a ‘low index of suspicion’ of H1N1 when the patient had severe pneumonia with c-morbid factors.
“After four deaths, doctors should be more alert,” he said, adding that doctors must get the patient’s medical history.
Dr Ismail said pneumonia cases, particular severe ones, should be tested for the flu virus as the illness could lead to pneumonia among ‘vulnerable groups’ such as diabetics and people who were obese, those with chronic respiratory problems and low immunity.

Other recommendations:
> Severe pneumonia patients should have throat swabs taken for H1N1 and begin anti-viral treatment.
> Suspected severe pneumonia cases caused by H1N1 should be given a double dose of anti-viral treatment, which is 150mg BD for five days.
> Influenza light illness (ILI) cases can be treated at home but symptoms of pneumonia such as breathing difficulties, chest pain and patients’ alertness level should be monitored.
> Laboratory tests for H1N1 to be extended to hospitals at state level.
> Twenty-one private hospitals have been supplied with anti-viral drugs.
Health Ministry statistics showed that as of yesterday, the number of reported H1N1 cases stood at 1,266, including the four deaths. Local infections have surpassed imported cases with 692 and 574 cases respectively.