theSun | FRIDAY AUGUST 7 2009 5

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API reading as at 5pm yesterday
Balok Baru, Pahang 103 Miri 106
Malacca 109 Samarahan 117
107 103

Ministry lifts control

Bintulu Sibu
0-50 Good 51-100 Moderate 101-200 Unhealthy 201-300 Very Unhealthy 301 Hazardous

on Tamiflu
by Husna Yusop pitals to take the A(H1N1)
H1N1 figures
(as at 8am yesterday)

newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PUTRAJAYA: In a move to
fight the influenza A(H1N1)
virus swiftly, the Health Min-
istry has lifted the “control” of
Tamiflu from today.
Health director-general
Tan Sri Ismail Merican said
all health clinics manned by
medical officers would be
supplied with the anti-viral,
in addition to existing govern-
ment hospitals and 22 private
hospitals.
“Also, private clinics will be
allowed to buy the anti-viral
from local suppliers who have
already assured the govern-
ment of sufficient stock,” he
told reporters in a briefing at
the Health Ministry yesterday.
However, Ismail reminded
pharmacists not to sell the
anti-viral without any prescrip-
tion and medical practitioners
must not prescribe the anti-vi-
ral to patients as a prophylactic
(preventive measure).
He said Tamiflu was not
effective as a prophylactic and
could also create side effects as
well as developing resistance
like “what is happening in the
United States, Mexico, Japan,
Denmark and Canada”.
He said most A(H1N1) infec-
tions in the world were light
cases and 98% of those infected
would recover without having
to consume any medicine.
Therefore, there was no
need to panic and rush to hos-
» New cases:
» Imported cases:
16
0
» Local transmissions: 16
tests if the influenza-like
illness (ILI) symptoms
» Total no. of cases: 1,492
were mild.
It would only be a waste
of resources and an un-
necessary burden to institu- » Total no. of deaths: 14
tions running the tests – the
Institute for Medical Researh
(IMR) and Sungai Buloh and
Kota Kinabalu hospitals. At the recent inter-ministe-
rial committee meet-
ing on the A(H1N1)
pandemic, the
INFLUENZA A(H1N1) HOTLINE government decided
» 03-88810200/300 there was no need
for all ILI cases to
» 03-88834414/415 take the A(H1N1)
test unless they are
hospitalised.
“The public should not However, he said, there
rush to the clinics – some even were reports in newspapers of
waited until 2am or 3am – to people expressing uneasiness
take the test. No need. The test because the hospitals did not
is only necessary for those want to run the tests on them.
with co-morbid conditions like Ismail said the IMR was
lung disease, kidney problem, flooded with close to 500 cases A hazy view of Kuala Lumpur
asthma, obesity and diabetes,” a day requesting for tests and yesterday.
he said. 80% to 90% turned out to be
“The majority of patients negative.
with ILI are advised to stay at “When we sent specimens
home, and wear masks if they to the IMR, they have to be
are going out. God willing, in from patients warded with
three or four days, they will severe pneumonia or other
New dengue diagnostic
get well even without taking severe complications. The IMR
medication.” can then concentrate on these
protocol in UMMC
Of the 14 deaths to date, 12 cases and study whether there
had co-morbid conditions. was any mutation, resistance
PETALING JAYA: A new dengue di- of a year’s study funded by the World
“The whole world is now to the Tamiflu anti-viral and agnostic protocol that can detect up Health Organisation involving more
trying to figure out why those all other sophisticated cases,” to 90% of suspected dengue patients than 1,000 samples.
non co-morbid patients died. he said. during their first visit to the hospital UMMC is the first local hospital
We are looking for indicators He appealed to private hos- has been implemented in to implement the protocol and it
but it is still undergoing a lot of pitals to send only specimens University Malaya Medi- hopes the protocol
studies,” he said. from highly suspicious cases. cal Centre (UMMC). would help curb the
“In the past, labora- dengue menace in

H1N1 tests costly, says don tory diagnosis is often

by Hemananthani Sivanandam
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: Some 100,000
tests to detect the influenza
A(H1N1) virus has been done to
date and this has cost the govern-
ment more than RM18 million.
The figure is derived based on
the cost of RM180 a test.
The Real Time Polymerase
Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests are
being done by the Institute for
Medical Research (IMR) and the
public health laboratory in Sungai
Buloh Hospital.
“People should know that the
tests are not free. The test we are
using is the one recommended by
the Centres for Disease Control
(CDC) in the United States and it is
a standard method used globally,”
said Prof Dr Sazaly Abu Bakar,
the director of Tropical Infectious
Diseases Research and Education
Centre (Tidrec)) in the Faculty of
Medicine in Universiti Malaya
(UM).
He said the tests were also
conducted using expensive tech-
nology.
“The equipment used for the
RT-PCR costs about RM500,000
each and we only have four in
the country in IMR and in Sungai
Buloh,” he said.
“This means samples from
other states must be sent to Kuala
Lumpur for the tests and extra
logistic costs are incurred.”
Sazaly said the results are usu-
ally obtained within 24 hours.
“UM has applied for a RM1
million grant from the government
to conduct research to produce a
cheaper A(H1N1) virus detection
method. We’re trying to develop
an alternative A(H1N1) screening
process using cheaper and more
affordable technology,” he said.
He said the grant was not only
for developing cheaper screening
techniques for A(H1N1) but also for
other viruses and diseases such as
malaria and leptospirosis.
Leptospirosis is a disease
caused by bacteria carried by
rodents. Two detainees from the
Juru Detention camp in Penang
died from the bacteria in May.
delayed as the most
common test looking
for dengue antibodies
may be negative in the
Praying early stages,” Prof Dr
for Sazaly Abu Bakar (pix)
said.
better A second blood
health test is required a few
pg 8 days later before a
positive result may
be found, but during
this time, the patient
continues to be infec-
tious to uninfected mosquitoes that
may bite the patient.
The delay in diagnosis not only
delays treatment but also delays insti-
tuting public health control measures
like fogging and eliminating breeding
sites of the mosquitoes around the
patient’s house.
Sazaly, who is the director of the
Tropical Infectious Diseases Research
and Education Centre (Tidrec) in the
Malaysia, which has
claimed 62 lives this
year.
He said UMMC
had been using the
protocol since April
as a test run but it
was only officially im-
plemented yesterday.
Sazaly said there is
no vaccine for dengue
yet but early detection
of the virus would save
lives.
He said Tidrec is
c o n d u c t - ing a gene sequencing
study to facilitate a databank for the
different types of dengue virus.
“Contrary to popular beliefs, the
dengue virus is not the same for all
countries,” he said.
“Different countries have different
types of the virus and to date, there
hasn’t been any vaccine developed in
other countries.
He said the Science, Technology

Flu death spikes to 14 Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Ma-

by Husna Yusop
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PUTRAJAYA: The number of
influenza A(H1N1)-related deaths
rose to 14 yesterday with another
two victims in the Kuantan and
Putrajaya hospitals.
The latest casualty was a 57-
year-old retired man with a history
of fever, cough and breathing dif-
ficulties. The man, who was also
a diabetic suffering from hyper-
tension, was warded in Putrajaya
Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
on Wednesday.
Health director-general Tan Sri
Ismail Merican said the patient
died on the same day due to acute
pulmonary oedema secondary to
A(H1N1). The case was confirmed
A(H1N1) positive yesterday.
The Kuantan Hospital case
involved a six-year-old boy who
developed symptoms of fever,
sore throat and flu on July 24.
He had received treatment in
a private clinic but was admitted
to the hospital on July 31 after
developing breathing difficulties.
“He was confirmed A(H1N1)-
positive on Sunday and warded
in the ICU on Monday. He died at
12.45pm on Wednesday,” Ismail
told a media briefing at the min-
istry.
There were 16 new cases,
all local transmissions involving
Malaysians, yesterday. Five cases
were from two new clusters, and
11 were sporadic infections.
The cumulative A(H1N1) cases
up to 8am yesterday numbered
1,492 with 14 deaths – 917 (62%)
local transmission and 574 (38%)
imported cases. Of this, 1,421
(95%) have recovered.
The number of A (H1N1) cases
still receiving treatment in ICUs is
11, and 43 are receiving anti-viral
treatment in isolation wards. Of
the 11, five are of high risk as they
are obese (two), just given birth
(one) and an infant (one).
On the global situation, Ismail
said 199,146 cases were reported
as of yesterday with 1,446 deaths.
from 171 countries – infections
rose by 5,460 cases, and 85 more
deaths were recorded.
laya, said the protocol was a result
Bank branch closed
KUALA LUMPUR: A bank in Kuala Lumpur
and six schools – three in Kelantan, two in
Penang and one in Perak – were directed
to close yesterday to prevent the spread of
influenza A(H1N1).
The Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN)
branch in Taman Leng Seng was closed for
two days when a member of the staff was
confirmed H1N1 positive.
The BSN said in a statement all its em-
ployees at the branch were directed to go for
a medical check while the bank was being
cleaned up.
In Penang, SMK Convent Butterworth and
SK Lahar Kepar in Kepala Batas were ordered
and Innovation Ministry has given a
RM3 million grant for the study.
to cease classes for one week.
In Perak, Maktab Rendah Sains Mara
(MRSM) Pengkalan Hulu was ordered to close
for a week after 24 students were confirmed
positive of the H1N1 virus. – Bernama
More labs to be set up
KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry will
set up more Influenza A(H1N1) laborato-
ries in hospitals nationwide as the virus is
spreading rapidly in the community.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai,
said the laboratories at the Institute for
Medical Research (IMR), and the Sungai
Buloh and Kota Kinabalu hospitals were
already used to full capacity. – Bernama