11 police trainees being treated for influenza-like illness

PUTRAJAYA: Eleven police trainees at the Army Basic Training Centre in Telok Kemang are being treated for the adenovirus and A(H1N1).

“The trainees have influenza-like illness (ILI) but they are all in stable condition,” Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said.

Six were being treated for the adenovirus and five for A(H1N1), he said after the ministry's monthly gathering yesterday.

Liow said the first eight cases were treated at a Port Dickson clinic after they were detected with ILI on March 31. The other three were warded at Port Dickson Hospital on Monday.
He added that 98 more trainees had been isolated at the centre for further observation.
Liow said a directive had been sent to all other training centres to keep their premises clean and well-ventilated.

“The adenovirus and A(H1N1) are everywhere. Everyone must play their part in ensuring cleanliness and good ventilation,” he said.

Liow added that anyone with flu symptoms - fever, cough, flu and body aches - should practise good hygiene etiquette by distancing themselves from crowds.

“If you are coughing and you mix with other people, it is not fair to others,” he said.
He urged other centres to remember that ILI detected in crowded facilities must be referred to doctors to prevent spread of the disease.

“Viruses spread easily in groups because of the proximity. It is the same with schools. If the patients are not treated early, the spread will be fast and fatal, just like what happened at the Police Training Centre in Kuala Lumpur,” he warned.