KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 — One half of twin sisters in Temerloh, Pahang succumbed to the Influenza A virus also known as H1N1 while the other is now fighting for her life.
The one-year old girl is warded at the intensive care unit in the Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Hospital in Temerloh, where her sibling died late last month, New Straits Times (NST) reported today.
Pahang Health Department director Datuk Dr Bahari Awang Ngah confirmed the latest news.
The death was only verified by the authorities recently after being first reported on January 1.
NST cited an unnamed source saying state Health Department investigators have been tracking the case for a year, but remain unable to identify its point of transmission.
“Our investigations showed that the sisters had only been to two places, their nursery and a supermarket. Nobody else at the nursery has tested positive for H1N1.
“Our preliminary conclusion is that the victims could have picked it outside, maybe from the foreign workers at the supermarket,” the source was quoted saying.
The Pahang Health Department is reported saying the Temerloh death from H1N1 is considered an isolated case.
Influenza cases have also been reported in other parts of the country, striking 53 students from 24 primary schools in Penang in the latest, 20 students and a teacher in Cyberjaya, two siblings in Klang, and one Umno campaigner for the Kimanis parliamentary by-election underway in Sabah.
The Health Ministry said all public medical facilities have sufficient stock of Tamiflu, the antiviral medication for treatment, but has urged the public to take additional precautions and to vaccinate themselves against the influenza virus.
It has also stepped up checks on all incoming visitors at all international borders within Malaysia following the spread of a mystery influenza strain in East Asia first detected in Wuhan, China that has also resulted in respiratory cases in Hong Kong and Singapore.
