NS camps hit by flu, food poisoning (Update)


http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/5/20/nation/20090520155340&sec=nation

PETALING JAYA: It was not a good week for National Service trainees with two different camps being hit, the first by influenza and the second by food poisoning.

The Health Ministry sent out an alert about the spread of suspected influenza at the National Service Training Centre in Setia Ikhlas, Semenyih.

To date, 30 trainees have started showing symptoms of fever, light cough, sore throat and aching muscles beginning last Thursday.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said 26 of the trainees were being treated at the camp’s isolation room, three were still warded at Kajang Hospital and one has been discharged on Tuesday.

The situation in the camp was being closely monitored by the ministry, he said in a statement Wednesday.

“This involves vector control through fogging, surveillance and daily monitoring of all trainees and referring all suspected cases to nearby hospitals,” he said.

Later Wednesday, Kajang Hospital deputy director Dr Sharum Ismail said that three patients came to the hospital with "dengue-like" symptoms. One of them is in the intensive care unit but is stable.

The hospital has ruled out H1N1 however, although blood samples have been sent for tests, she said.

On Tuesday, the ministry confirmed that Influenza B has been identified as the reason why trainees at the Police Training Centre (Pulapah) in Air Hitam near Bahau fell ill.

Last Thursday, a trainee died of acute pericarditis, an inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart. The inflammation was brought on by Influenza B.

Subsequently, 29 trainees were placed under observation at the Jempol Hospital.

At the NS training centre in Cancun Park, Pasir Mas, 100 out of 350 participants came down with food poisoning on Tuesday, C.A. ZULKIFLI reports from KOTA BARU.

State Health Department deputy director Dr Wan Mansor Hamzah said 15 of the afflicted had been admitted to the Pasir Mas, Raja Perempuan Zainab II and Perdana Specialist hospitals.

The rest received outpatient treatment at various hospitals in the Pasir Mas and Kota Baru districts.

On April 14, 17 participants at the same camp had also come down with food poisoning after they consumed food that had passed its expiry date. The health department responded by closing down the canteen and the NS centre then engaged a new food caterer.

“This latest incident could have been caused by the fried rice and chicken supplied by another contractor appointed by the food caterer,” Dr Wan Mansor told newsmen at the Pasir Mas hospital after inspecting the centre Wednesday.

There was also another case of food poisoning involving 10 trainees on May 12, caused by poor food handling by the caterer, he added.