KUALA LUMPUR: The Higher Education Ministry has reminded all higher education institutions (IPT) to take necessary steps to prevent the possible spread of influenza among students, says Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.
The Higher Education Minister said that although no information has been received about the spread of the disease in IPTs, the ministry is not taking the matter lightly and is closely monitoring developments.
This follows a recent report indicating that several schools in various states have been temporarily closed by their respective district health offices, with 6,000 school students under the Education Ministry reported to have been infected so far.
"As we are aware, this disease may involve schools, but we are also not taking the matter lightly," he said.
He shared these remarks after officiating the closing ceremony of the International Young Future Leaders Summit (iFuture) 2025 at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) on Monday (Oct 13), which was also attended by his deputy, Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.
On Thursday (Oct 9), the Health Ministry announced that 97 clusters of influenza A and B infections were reported in Epidemiology Week (ME) 40/2025, compared to 14 clusters the previous week, with the majority involving educational institutions.
According to the Health Ministry, all states recorded an increase, with the five highest being Selangor (43 clusters), Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (15), Penang (10), Johor (9), and Kedah (5), with most cases showing mild symptoms.
Meanwhile, commenting on the iFuture programme, Dr Zambry said such an approach was the ministry's effort in building leadership values among university students, in addition to offering the opportunity to interact internationally with peers from 50 countries.
"So they can interact during these three days, get to know each other. This is the real approach that will have a big impact in the long term because one day these people will also be leaders in their respective countries and imagine how Malaysia can play that role," he said. – Bernama
