PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry has detected a cluster with influenza-like illness (ILI) in Yan, Kedah, which has left some 28 students ill.
The ministry said the Kuala Muda district health office had detected the ILI infection among students of an educational institution last Wednesday (April 23), who were reported to have caught the illness after attending a private camp programme.
The 28 cases were detected among 158 students who were exposed to the infection.
Of the 28, six tested positive for Influenza A and were treated at the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital in Sungai Petani.
They have since been discharged, the ministry said in a statement on Monday. The remaining 22 students received outpatient treatment.
“The Kedah and the district health departments have undertaken control and prevention measures, including investigating the surrounding environment, carrying out risk analysis in the camp area, carrying out active surveillance at the education institution, isolating symptomatic cases and monitoring ILI cases in the Kuala Muda district,” it said.
The ministry urged members of the public to observe hygiene standards and get their yearly influenza vaccination. Those with symptoms such as fever, cough and prolonged flu have been advised to seek treatment.
On Sunday, Kedah local government and health committee chairman Mansor Zakaria had initially said 39 students had fallen sick from an unidentified disease after attending a camp in Yan.
He later clarified that the case only involved seven victims and not 39 as previously mentioned, adding that the situation was under control with a 14-year-old student being treated, while six other victims were treated as outpatients with no new cases reported.
