Thesun 2009-05-04 Page01 Scanners Installed

 Member of Audit Bureau of Circulations (Malaysia)

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No. 4750 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)

Monday May 4, 2009

TELLING IT AS IT IS

Grateful to be alive pg20 & rocking Three Malaysians to get gift of sight by Tan Yi Liang

» Tee Keat denies move to topple Chua pg2

» For love of their children pg15

mother’s day focus

Scanners installed MALAYSIA FREE OF INFLUENZA A(H1N1) BUT REMAINS VIGILANT

by Charles Ramendran [email protected]

[email protected]

KUALA LUMPUR: Three Malaysians will receive the gift of sight – thanks to corneas donated by the Sri Lankan government. The corneas, which will benefit a Malay, Chinese and an Indian, are part of the Buddhist Maha Vihara’s annual Caring and Sharing programme to commemorate Wesak Day. About 1,000 underprivileged individuals were invited to the Buddhist Maha Vihara in Brickfields yesterday to take part in the celebration, which included food, gifts and entertainment. Said the Buddhist Chief High Priest of Malaysia, K. Sri Dhammaratana: “This event will help foster unity among the races. It extends beyond race and religion.” Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, who was the guest of honour, received the corneas from Sri Lankan High Commissioner Dr D. Ranasinghe. He thanked the Sri Lankan government for the donation. Of yesterday’s celebration, he said: “It is truly an honour to witness a gathering of different cultures, religions and ethnicity in one place rejoicing in the act of giving, caring and sharing.” Ong also called for the concept of giving and sharing to be revived. “In today’s hectic and changing world, the simple thought of stopping and observing our surroundings and extending a helping hand is long forgotten. We need to revive the thought of giving and sharing in each and every one of us,” he said. The cornea transplants will be carried out at Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital.

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UALA LUMPUR: Three new static mass thermal scanners have been installed – two at KL International Airport and another at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal – to screen arriving passengers as Malaysia declared itself free of influenza A(H1N1) but remained vigilant. At the same time, Costa Rica, France, South Korea and Colombia have confirmed detecting influenza A(H1N1) cases in their countries, bringing the total number of countries affected by the pandemic to 19. The total number of cases throughout the world stood at 787, with 17 deaths, at press time yesterday. The number of cases

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inceased by 291 overnight. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said there is no confirmed case of influenza A(H1N1) in Malaysia. He said a New Zealander warded in Penang for flu a week after his arrival has been cleared of the virus following tests. Precautionary measures had been initiated by testing the New Zealander as there were cases of the epidemic reported in his country. Liow said the other case of a woman who voluntarily came forward after she was on the same flight with a Mexican infected with the virus has so far been negative. He said medical personnel are monitoring the woman’s condition round the clock and she has shown no signs or symptoms of contract-

Three visually-impaired guests at the Caring and Sharing programme join Ong in receiving the gift of corneas. On the right is Ven Dhammaratana.

ing the virus. She is in quarantine at her home in Penang. Liow, who visited the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) to inspect the centre’s facilities and preparations for the epidemic, was disappointed with certain news reports over the two cases. “These news reports caused panic and anxiety among Penangites,” he said. He explained that there are many strains of the flu virus, including the common flu, which is curable. “It is common to see people get the flu but what we are looking for is the A(H1N1) virus,” he said. “When tests are done, lab personnel will determine if the virus in their findings in a sample belongs to

the A, B or C strain. If it is found to be an A strain, further tests are done to determine if it is the A(H1N1) virus. “The preliminary lab process can take between six and 10 hours and a comprehensive test can take between two and three weeks.” He said the IMR has come up with two categories of those affected – “probable cases” where blood samples of the person display symptoms of the A(H1N1) virus but turn out to be negative following lab tests, and “confirmed cases” where the A(H1N1) virus was either present or highly indicative after lab tests. Liow said samples of confirmed cases will also be sent to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for further verification. He said the necessary steps are being reinforced, especially at all entry points in the country. Asked if the scanners which were acquired during the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 are currently being used, he said these machines are slow but are being utilised at “less dense” entry points. Bernama reports: Health director-general Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Merican said WHO is maintaining the pandemic alert level at Phase Five (highest is six) but did not recommend travel or trade restrictions or the need to close borders for any country. In a statement, he said visitors from the countries affected would be screened at entry points in Malaysia and be issued health declaration forms and health alert cards. “So far, the number of people screened and required further examination totalled 238 cases but all were found to be healthy and did not require to be referred to hospitals,” he said.

» See also Page 4