Influenza: 24 clusters detected this year, Dewan Rakyat told

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 24 influenza clusters have been detected nationwide so far this year, says Deputy Health Minister I Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali.

From the total of 279 disease clusters reported, 24 were confirmed as influenza, 203 influenza-like illnesses and 52 were upper respiratory tract infections, he told the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Aug 3).

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Schools accounted for a bulk of the clusters with over 200 clusters, he added.

"Cumulatively, the states which reported the highest number of severe acute respiratory infection clusters are Perak with 50, Selangor with 42, and Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya with 35 clusters," he said during the Oral Question and Answer Session.

"Nevertheless, no deaths have been reported from all 279 clusters recorded this year," he added.

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Dr Noor Azmi said vaccination for influenza was available at private healthcare facilities.

He was responding to a supplementary question by Datuk Seri Mohd Salim Sharif (BN-Jempol) on whether or not influenza vaccines will be given to children in view of the rising cases.