Tourists arrival up 4.4% despite flu and global downturn

KUALA LUMPUR: Tourists arrival to Malaysia has gone up by 4.4% in the first eight months of the year compared with the same period last year.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said this was despite the outbreak of the Influenza A(H1N1) and the global economic downturn.

From January to last month, the number of tourists to Malaysia increased to 15.38 million from 14.73 million during the same period last year.

In August alone, tourist arrivals rose by 10.4% to 2.03 million from 1.84 million last year.

“This is an encouraging figure,” said Dr Ng after launching the ministry’s 1Malaysia logo here yesterday.

“This shows that foreign visitors are visiting Malaysia although it is a challenging time now.”

She said tourists from China increased by 14.8% (104,473 people) in August alone, while visitors from Taiwan rose by 30.4% (26,032), Australia, 26.6% (42,969), Britain 16.5% (44.519) and the United States 1.4% (19,557).

Tourists from Singapore increased by 22% (1.09 million) and India by 1.3% (42,332), while visitors from Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea dropped by 5.2% (114,555), 9.9% (181,634) and 15.2% (23,305) respectively.

Dr Ng said tourists from Saudi Arabia and the UAE also decreased by 41.8% and 66.8% to 8,366 and 1,880 respectively due to the Ramadan month. But tourists from Iran increased by 47.9% to 9,470.

Although tourists from most of the popular countries increased, the occupancy rate at local hotels dropped by 3% from January to August compared with last year.

“The decrease shows that visitors are mostly staying with their friends or relatives as well as going for home stay,” Dr Ng said.

H1N1 in Malaysia

H1N1 has been kind of everywhere and subdued at the same time really.

I mean, you see people with surgical masks but at the same time, the government complained that awareness about H1N1 was still low among the population despite massive campaigns in the radio, on the newspapers and at the workplace.

A poster with nine separate picures gives you instructions on how to properly wash your hands and is strategically placed on the outside of the toilet door so you can read it while you wait. Also, there are additional notices in both English and Malay as well as huge dispensers of desinfectant gel where many people pass by.



It is always possble to bump into people wearing masks, in the street, in the mall, in the plane, at the work place and it is a totally normal sight. Some people have the tendncy to wear mask as a fashion, on every occasion, I mean as an amulet, even though they are not sick; you are only supposed to wear them to prevent infecting others when you have flu-like symptoms; they don't work the other way round! But then other people see you and get a mask too and the next person, and the next peron. Panic for nothing.

I mean all I know about H1N1 is that you avoid close contact, especially in train stations, airports and well, you do want to take that extra steo when the person behind you on the escalator is coughing. You're supposed to wash your hands regularly and thoroughly and stay away from the work place or school if you have flu-like symptoms. In that case, open windows at home to air frequently to reduce any microbiotic activity. Minimise your contact with people and make a list of people who visit you (or go shopping for you).

Asia's response was pretty quick and they were said to be better prepared for this than many Western countries because of the Avian flu outbreak a while ago. Whenever you take a plane, you are given yellow forms from the respective health ministries, asking you to tick if you had any of the following symptoms recently (iecoughing, sneezing, rash, diarrhea). If you ticked yes to any, you are asked to report to the health officer at arrival and are reminded that if you give any wrong statements, you incriminate yourself and can be put into jail, penalised with a fine etc. etc. You have to give flight/bus/ferry/vehicle number, seat number, basic biodata and origin and destination of your journey on arrival, you hand it to the health officers (placed before immigration counters, interestingly) while a thermal camera scans the crowds for abnormal temperature.You may find that a lot of airport personnel from the check-in desk to security, cleaning and shop attendants are wearing a mask. If this makes you nervous, you can still walk into a souvenir confectionery shop and find a mask to buy between the durian sweets and the cashew nuts, like I saw in Ho Chi Minh City.

In Malaysia, 77 of the 7066 cases so far reported (24 September 2009) have been reported to have died of H1N1. Then again, I don't have any figures for how many people, in comparison, died of the "normal" flu and wonder if it's just a global hype.

Whenever one kid is identified to have had H1N1, the whole school closes down. You get a massage and the radio plays a H1N1 notice in between every single commercial ad between songs of at least I experienced that once (in a Chinese blind people's massage place, by the way).

One person is sick and quickly rumour spreads that X or Y has H1N1 but in general, nobody really cares or puts it at the back of their mind. It has even found its way into everyday jokes. What I am trying to say is that you won't see people running at the mere mentioning of “H1N1!” nor a lot of drama, luckily.

On the other hand, you have hospitals ovrwhelmed with too many people who think they have the virus but only make doctors more busy. They have to use maybe 20 kits in a day – and that might be the amount they get from the MOH until further notice, or so a local doctor lamented to me.

The other day, on the cover page of the newspaper was a picture of rows and rows of uni graduates in their gowns and tassles, all wearing masks to their graduation ceremony which only ruins their special day without being effective at all.

A(H1N1): 587 patients receiving treatment for ILI

PETALING JAYA (Sept 22, 2009) : A total of 587 patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) are being treated in 74 hospitals nationwide, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said today.

Of this, 169 patients are positive for A(H1N1) with 28 patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

“Twenty-six of those in ICU are from the high risk category, including nine children below five, two pregnant women and six obese patients,” he said in a statement from the Health Ministry yesterday.

The death toll for Influenza A(H1N1) in Malaysia remains at 77 as no new deaths were reported today.

The 77th death case reported on Saturday involved a 15-year-old asthmatic from Kedah. She died on Sept 11 but her death was only reported to the Health Ministry on Sept 18.

According to the ministry's statement, the girl had sought out-patient treatment from Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim in Sungai Petani, Kedah on Sept 7 after suffering from fever, cough and flu.

However her symptoms did not improve and she was brought back to hospital four days later on Sept 11. The girl was referred to the ICU and given antiviral treatment.

However, the patient died six hours later due to severe pneumonia with H1N1 infection, compounded by secondary bacterial infection.

The next day, her throat swab sample confirmed that she was infected with the virus.

Globally, the latest World Health Organization (WHO) report showed that as of Sept 18, the total number of cases worldwide has exceeded 296,471 with at least 3,486 deaths.

Mohd Ismail said the public must adhere to the Health Ministry’s advice in preventing, delaying and controlling H1N1 transmission in the community.

“The best way for those with ILI symptoms to prevent from spreading the virus is to stay home and rest after receiving symptomatic treatment and conduct self-monitoring while keeping a distance from family members or housemates,” he said.

231 new patients with flu-like symptoms warded

KUALA LUMPUR: The death toll due to Influenza A(H1N1) remained at 74 with no new deaths recorded in the past 24 hours, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said Sunday morning.

A total of 231 new patients with influenzalike illness were admitted to hospital, he said.

He added that 42 confirmed HIN1 patients were still being in Intensive Care Units.

Meanwhile, he reminded the public to remain vigilant against the pandemic by bringing H1N1 kits with them when visiting relatives during the coming festive season.

He also said that it would be better for those in the risk groups to travel in their own vehicles when they go back to their hometowns and villages for the Aidilfitri.

"If you have to use public transport, make sure you wear the surgical mask and observe personal hygiene at all times," he said in a statement. - Bernama

Sultan not holding open house to prevent spread of A(H1N1)

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah will not be holding the Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house this year to prevent the spread of the Influenza A(H1N1) virus.

His private secretary, Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani, said in a statement that the Sultan had instructed him to make the announcement as the A(H1N1) was listed as an infectious disease that must be curtailed, reported Bernama.

The Sultan of Selangor also wished Selamat Hari Raya to Muslims and hoped they will look after their health, besides maintaining the solidarity, prosperity and peace.


In Klang, some 1,000 people from all walks of life broke fast with Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah at the Masjid di-Raja Sultan Suleiman here yesterday.

The guests had gathered at the royal mosque located next to the Istana Alam Shah as early as 5pm.

At the event organised by the Selangor government, the Sultan presented Hari Raya donations to 400 underprivileged people, including orphans and the hardcore poor before the breaking of fast followed by terawih prayers.

One of the receipients, Siti Mastura Nasharudin, 15, from Kampung Jawa, who came with her 11-year-old sister Khairunnisa, said she was thrilled to have met the Sultan.

"He is a very nice man. He is the first royal VIP that I have met," she said.

During his speech, Datuk Orang Kaya Maha Bijaya Orang Besar Daerah Klang Datuk Setia Diraja Abdul Ghani Pateh Akhir, said the holy month called for tolerance and the spirit of forgiveness.

"Let us forgive each other and carry out our duties diligently. Do not let our emotion overcome us.

"I always pray to see again that kind of family harmony and peace that existed way back in the 50s and 60s," he added.

Selangor investment arms, the Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd (KDEB) and Selangor Economic Development Corporation (PKNS), presented RM562,000 and RM4.18 million zakat to the Sultan.

One A(H1N1) Death Registered on Friday

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 (Bernama) -- After seven days of no record of deaths due to Influenza A(H1N1), on Friday a death was registered bringing the total now to 74.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said the victim was a disabled 19-year-old male from Gerik, Perak.

"He was admitted to the Gerik Hospital on Aug 19 for fever, cough, sore throat and vomitting over four days. On Aug 20, he was referred to the Ipoh Hospital for specialist treatment and anti-viral treatment was started.

"However, he died on Aug 23 due to lungs complication due to Acute Pulmonary Oedema with underlying Influenza A H1N1 infection. The case was confirmed to be H1N1 through laboratory tests on Aug 28," Dr Mohd Ismail said in a statement on Friday.

Meanwhile, 198 new patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms had been admitted into hospital for treatment while 190 had been discharged.

"This leads to 1,104 patients with ILI being treated in 101 hospitals, including eight private hospitals, throughout the country. Of the patients being treated just 261 patients (23.6 per cent) were positive for H1N1," he said.

He said of the 261 patients positive for H1N1, 41 were in the intensive care unit (ICU) of which eight were new cases while six patients had been taken out of the ICU.

"Of the 41 patients in the ICU, 32 (78 per cent) had risk factors. The breakdown of the risk factors are chronic illness (13 patients), chronic respiratory illness (one), obesity (nine), children below five years (eight) and pregnancy (one)," he said.

Dr Mohd Ismail also said till now there was no vaccine in the market that could protect a person from Influenza A (H1N1) as the vaccine was being tested at the clinical stage and that Malaysia would get the vaccine as soon as it was marketed.

He said those who wanted to perform the 'haj' or 'umrah' were required to take the Seasonal Flu and Meningitis vaccine.

On the antiviral treatment, Dr Mohd Ismail said those in the high risk group could get it at any clinic or hospital and they were encouraged to visit Influenza A (H1N1) prevention and treatment clinics as listed on the website http://h1n1.moh.gov.my that can provide antiviral treatment at reasonable rates.

-- BERNAMA

MAILBOX: Clarification on H1N1 figures

I WOULD like to refer to the concerns raised by Margaret Wing of Petaling Jaya in her letter ‘Confusion over H1N1 number’, which appeared in Malay Mail on Sept 7.
We would like to inform that the number of H1N1 cases published or reported to the media by the Health Ministry are the number of laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1.

It is the same reporting standard as used currently by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other countries worldwide in reporting cases of influenza A (H1N1).

As we are aware, as part of the current mitigation strategy in managing cases in Malaysia, most cases including certain high risk individuals are being treated on an outpatient basis and confirmatory test are not required to be done for them to facilitate initiation of early treatment.

Only those cases which require admission into either private or public hospitals have the confirmatory
test for H1N1 done.

Cases with complications need to be admitted into hospitals and a clinical sample would be taken for a laboratory confirmatory test, but treatment will be started immediately without waiting for the laboratory
test results.

Testing of H1N1 among hospitalised cases is currently part of the clinical management to exclude other possible infections as we are aware that other viral or bacterial infections may also contribute to the complications.

In conclusion, the figures of H1N1 published in the media only refer to the laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 and most of these cases are among hospital inpatients.

TAKING PRECAUTIONS: Wearing face masks can check the spread of the H1N1 virus.

Don't shun those who wear face masks

KLANG (Sept 1, 2009): Health Minister Datuk Sri Liow Tiong Lai today urged the public not to shun those who are wearing face masks as they are the safest people to be around with in the pandemic season and be "flu-wise". Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai share a light moment with student from SJK (C) Pandamaran A after the presentation of mask to school in Klang. "Using the face masks is one of the best ways of controlling the A (H1N1) virus from spreading fast in the community especially to children and those from the high risk group," he told a press conference after briefing and distributing masks to schools in Klang today. "There is no need to be embarrassed about wearing face masks as it is a very good practice and it shows that people take the flu seriously, thus we should praise them for their initiative," Liow said. Acknowledging other countries like Japan that have made wearing face masks a wide practice in their daily lives, he said Malaysia too should make wearing face masks part of its lifestyle, so that it will become a norm in the society. "In Malaysia, the people who wear masks become alien to others, which should not be the way. We should encourage everyone to wear masks to protect themselves and others around them by preventing the spread of their flu to others, even if it is seasonal flu," Liow stressed. He also said that based on observance, the face masks are currently catered for adults and when children wear them, it is big and loose. "The manufacturers should consider providing another size smaller for the children. Wearing a loose face mask is ineffective as well, as it will not do much to protect the individual, thus it is wiser to have a children’s size," Liow said. However, he said the masks with strings are helpful as the children can tie the masks tighter, but many choose the elastic masks for convenience. Elastic masks may not fit the children’s faces properly. Liow reiterated parents’ responsibilities in monitoring their children on a daily basis for any symptoms or fever so that early treatment may be provided before it is too late. "Schools are hotspots for the spread of Influenza A (H1N1) and all teachers have been advised to be on high alert and monitor and screen their students, as school just resumed after one week holiday," he said. Encouraging all students especially from the primary schools, to wear face masks everyday to school and other places, Liow said the students should also be taught of using the masks hygienically. "Sometimes the children tend to play with the face masks, touch them all the time or dirty them while playing. They should be taught the proper way of wearing and handling the masks, regularly change masks and not wet them," he said. About 200,000 face masks were given to 45 schools around Klang as part of the campaign to prevent and control the Influenza A (H1N1). To date, 272 new cases were registered in the past 24 hours and the death toll in Malaysia stands at 72. Globally the total number of death cases has escalated to 3,000. "A total of 1,373 patients with Influenza-like-illness are admitted in the hospitals nationwide and only 193 (14%) have been confirmed to be infected with the virus," Liow said, adding that about 279 patients have been discharged. He expressed concerned about the 46 high risk patients, who are under the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) currently, adding that the Health Ministry is working very hard in creating awareness to the public on the high risk group.