UPDATE - Sunday June 10 2007: All 11 people hospitalised for flu-like symptoms have been certified free of bird flu, according to the Health Ministry.
That's the good news.
The bad news is that two people have been hospitalised for fever and coughing.
The two - a teenager in Terengganu and a 31-year-old man in Selangor were warded yesterday.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the 16-year-old youth was now being treated at the Kuala Terengganu Hospital after he had fever and coughing.
"The teenager is believed to have been exposed to the reared chickens and ducks which had died in Seberang Takir, Kuala Terengganu," he said in a statement issued in Kuala Lumpur today.
Read the Bernama story here.
Meanwhile, villagers of Kampung Paya Jaras Hilir believe that fighting cockerels were responsible for the spread of Avian Flu because the village is a transit point for the fowls.
Besides there are some 300 Indonesians and 200 Cambodians in the village, and more in Kampung Kubu Gajah, Kampung Paya Jaras Dalam, Kampung Paya Jaras Tengah and Kampung Paya Jaras Hulu.
Cock fighting competitions, apparently have been taking place in the villages.
But the authorities have not found conclusive evidence that these fowls are responsible but are not discounting this.
Investigations are ongoing. Read the story here.
Firstly, isn't cock fighting illegal? If it is, surely these fights are not an unknown occurrence in the area.
This is my earlier posting - Saturday June 9, 2007.
The deputy director-general of health (public health), Dr Ramlee Rahmat said today that so far, the bird flu situation in the country is under control.
He told Bernama that this is because of the 11 cases admitted to hospitals (in Sungai Buloh, Kedah and Malacca), only one (in Malacca) is awaiting confirmation.
Dr Ramlee said four out of the seven patients at Sungai Buloh were discharged after they were confirmed to be free from the bird flu virus while the rest were in a stable condition and would be discharged anytime soon.
Two fever patients in Kedah were confirmed to have negative bird flu results while a female patient in Malacca, who had developed a fever after visiting Paya Jeras on June 2, was also confirmed to be bird flu negative.
The results from a blood sample of a patient admitted into Malacca Hospital with similar fever symptoms will be known later today.
So, with no humans being infected so far, the situation is under control.
Dr Ramlee was speaking to reporters after opening the 2007 Prostar Colloquium and Convention at Universiti Putra Malaysia in Serdang (Selangor) today.
The rest of the story here.
3 comments:
Nuraina,
Wonder how effective and efficient our crisis management? Must go back to PR basics - win trust by telling the truth. BN always thinks of tourism $$.
Crisis mgmt must involve all stakeholders to work together to overcome the issue at hand.
Remember haze at one time the API classified under OSA?
Up to 70's our Institute of Medical Research Malaysia was world renowned for tropical and public health research. Haven't heard anything from IMR for a long time.
Nuraina and Hi&Lo,
Yes, I remember that! OSA! And still the OSA is there. The smog has never left and now the avian flu is back. I really hope it is "under control". But that's what they usually say, don't they? We'll never hear them say to the Press: "Sorry, dear voters, the situation is out of control".
Nuraina,
Minta tumpang lalu to Sdr Rockybru:
Govt overcontrol things is bad. already going to celebrate ulangtahun ke 50, masih not grown up. I don't have any reason to rejoice Aug 31.
Frankly, we need a watchdog for everything in Malaysia. I no caya BN.
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