8th death in Malaysia for H1N1?

A(H1N1): Lady teacher, 51, is country's 8th flu death (Update 2)
By AUDREY EDWARDS and STEPHEN THEN


KUALA LUMPUR: A lady teacher, 51, from a Selangor school closed on July 27 died Sunday, making her the eighth Influenza A(H1N1) death in the country.

She had developed pneumonia and had underlying heart disease, said Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican on Monday.

He said that a sample was taken after she died and the test results on Monday showed that she was infected by the flu virus.

He said that she had complained of cough, fever and difficulty in breathing and saw a doctor on July 27.

She was later hospitalised in Sungei Buloh Hospital on July 30 and then moved to Seremban Hospital where her condition worsened and she died of pneumonia.

Meanwhile in Miri, a 24-year-old native woman suffering from Influenza A(H1N1) died at 4am on Monday, a mere two weeks after giving birth to her first child at the intensive care unit of the Miri Hospital.

Her baby girl is safe, Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam said, adding that this was the state’s first reported death from the deadly flu.

The woman, from here, was warded on July 17 after she contracted the disease. At that time she was already in an advanced stage of pregnancy.

The hospital managed to help her deliver a baby girl a few days after she was warded. The baby has been handed over to her father, a labourer in his late 20s.

“This is the first death in Sarawak due to A(H1N1). We (the Sarawak government) have increased the alert level throughout the whole state now.

“Nobody can take this disease lightly anymore,” Dr Chan said.

The Miri Hospital tightened security and safety by several notches to prevent any spread of the disease.

Its director Dr Uma Devi had issued directives to staff not to allow little children to enter the wards if they are not there for any health-related purposes.

Visitors are not allowed to bring babies or little kids to the wards anymore. Old folk are also discouraged from entering unless they are there for health checks.

Smokers are also barred from coming near the wards.

Dr Uma said the tighter safety measures are needed as those who are weaker have immune systems that can be easily attacked by the H1N1 virus.

The Sarawak woman brings the total number of deaths in Malaysia to seven, the previous being an 11-year-old boy who died in Johor Baru on Sunday.

source : http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/8/3/nation/20090803111301&sec=nation