Two reports of ILI cluster cases in Perak

Datuk Dr Ding Lay Ming

IPOH, Dec 20 -- The Perak Health Department has received two reports of ‘influenza-like illness’ (ILI) involving members and trainees at the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Base in Lumut.

Its director Datuk Dr Ding Lay Ming said the Manjung Health District Office had received two reports of ILI on Dec 10 and 14.

“The first case was reported on Dec 10, involving 25 members of the RMN, with the last case reported on Dec 9, and up till today, no new cases have been reported.

“They are all in the monitoring stage which is expected to end on Monday,” she said in a statement here today.

She added that the second cluster was reported by the emergency staff of the Lumut Armed Forces Hospital on Dec 14.

 "A total of 67 trainees are now kept in the isolation facility at the base after they suffered fever, coughing, cold and sore throat,” she said.

Dr Ding said as of last Monday, the department had conducted screening tests on  1,572 individuals and 122 cases were detected and referred to the Armed Forces Hospital in Lumut.

She said following this, the Manjung Health Department and a team from the Lumut Armed Forces Hospital carried out case-tracking measures, taking samples from various individuals.

“These samples were found to be positive for the influenza A (H1N1)virus,” she said.

Yesterday, RMN chief, Admiral Tan Sri Mohd Reza Mohd Sany said Perak was free of the H1N1 influenza disease and only a few members of the Lumut RMN were suspected to have H1N1-like symptoms.

-- BERNAMA