Malaysia : Vet dept on H7N9 alert

Via Sun Daily :

" The Veterinary Services Department has stepped up surveillance at all entry points and poultry farms nationwide following the first case of H7N9 reported in Malaysia.

All state veterinary services department directors are also on high alert for any breakouts at poultry farms with the disease as most of the cases reported in China and Hong Kong were due to the victims being exposed to live poultry or potentially contaminated environments, especially markets where live birds were sold.

The first case in Malaysia is a 67-year-old female tourist from China who arrived in Sabah on Feb 6. She landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Feb 3, and travelled to Kota Kinabalu two days later where she complained of not being well. A blood test result confirmed that she was infected with H7N9.

As a proactive measure, its director-general Datuk Dr Abd Aziz Jamaluddin, said the department has been monitoring all high risk premises such as entry points, wet markets, bird sanctuaries, bird pet shops and wild birds for avian influenza viruses including the H7N9 cases.

"With the first H7N9 cases reported in Malaysia, we have further intensified our surveillance nationwide, including Sabah and Sarawak," he told theSun today.

To date, there has been no cases of chickens or birds infected with the disease in Malaysia.

With Malaysia being an importer of chicken meat and chicken parts from China, he said they would be checked before being sold here."

Malaysia : Liow: Early treatment key to surviving pandemic flu

I found this article from the The Sun; it's with regards to the lates H1N1 situation in Malaysia but this report has more details compared to the others. Please read the whole article, especially the last paragraph:

" Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai today stressed on the importance of early treatment and vaccination particularly among high risk groups to control the increase of the influenza A(H1N1) virus transmission rate in Malaysia.

"The important thing is to get anti-viral treatment within three to four days of experiencing Influenza Like Illnesses (ILI) symptoms as it is the ‘golden period’ for recovery," said Liow.

"Do not wait to get treatment because early treatment is crucial in order for the antiviral to sufficiently slow down the A(H1N1)’s virus multiplication process within the human body; so that our antibody can attack and kill the virus," he said.

Meanwhile, another school was closed effective today after it recorded five confirmed cases of influenza A(H1N1) in two weeks.

A representative of a private school in Kota Damansara here told theSun that Sekolah Sri KDU had been issued a notification on Friday to close both its primary and secondary schools for one week after it recorded its fifth confirmed case of A(H1N1).

She said the school had consistently taken preventive measures since the first outbreak last year, including taking students’ temperature at the school gates. "