OVER 80% of the recent Influenza A cases so far were detected in schools and kindergartens, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
While the disease is a seasonal virus, he said the ministry is monitoring the situation following an increase of cases in recent weeks, including the deaths of male pupils in Terengganu and Sarawak.
“A total of 83% of cases were reported in schools and kindergartens.
“Of this, 65.8% were in schools while about 17% were in kindergartens,” he told Suhaizan Kaiat (PH-Pulai).
Later at a press conference, Dzulkefly said 535 Influenza A clusters had been detected since the beginning of this year.
This included 352 clusters in schools (65.8%), 35 clusters in colleges and education centres (6.54%), 33 clusters in private residences (6.1%), six clusters at daycare centres (1.1%), 10 clusters at workplaces (1.9%) and three clusters in prison institutions (0.56%).
He added that Selangor recorded the highest number of clusters over the past two weeks with 174, followed by Putrajaya (103) and Johor (51).
“The week between Oct 12 and 16 saw the number of clusters dropping to 56,” he noted.
“However, the spread of infections is still ongoing.”
He said the current H3N2 strain results in flu-like symptoms which can affect the respiratory system and result in encephalitis in serious cases.
Dzulkefly said there are no plans for now to order schools to be closed or students to wear face masks.
He added that the closure of a school will only be carried out upon advice of the district health authorities after taking into account several factors.
“This includes the seriousness of the outbreak, the number of absentees and whether teaching will be disrupted,” he said.
Dzulkefly also said the district health authorities will hold talks with the schools in question and issue advisories on actions to be taken.
He advised parents not to send their children to school if they have flu-like symptoms and to adopt good hygiene protocols to prevent the spread of the flu.
As a precaution, Dzulkefly said the ministry is preparing plans for the creation of disaster zones in the event that the flu outbreaks worsen.
Regarding the recent deaths of two 11-year-old children in Sarawak and Terengganu, Dzulkefly confirmed that they had both contracted the Influenza A strain.
He said more tests are being done to determine the actual cause of death.
