It appears that Malaysia is now facing a sharp surge of influenza infections, particularly in educational institutions — especially boarding schools and MARA Junior Science Colleges (MRSMs).
Most recently, 34 MRSMs were forced to close after 2,724 students were infected with influenza. The Ministry of Health (MOH) previously reported 97 clusters of influenza A and B infections in Epidemiological Week (EW) 40/2025, a sharp increase compared to 14 clusters the week before.
The majority of these clusters were detected in secondary schools (32), primary schools (26), kindergartens (15), and private schools (9). Monitoring from 58 sentinel clinics also recorded a rise in influenza-like illness (ILI) cases to 7.38% in EW 40, up from 5.95% the previous week.
In Kelantan, 514 influenza cases were reported this year across five educational clusters, while an ILI cluster was detected at a school in Kuala Muda, Kedah, involving 28 students out of 158, with six testing positive for influenza A and admitted to hospital.
In Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, ILI cases rose from 106 to 112 in a single day, while Selangor recorded 387 influenza cases across 149 schools.
These figures show that we cannot afford to be complacent or wait for the situation to worsen before taking action. The data clearly indicate that educational institutions are the most vulnerable to influenza transmission.
Each cluster occurring in schools or hostels poses a risk to students, disrupts learning time, and adds pressure to the healthcare system.
The MOH, Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), and MARA must act proactively to contain and prevent the spread of influenza. Although it is not classified as a pandemic like COVID-19, that is no reason to adopt a “wait and see” attitude.
We must learn from our experience battling COVID-19. The measures, strategies, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) used to curb COVID-19 transmission should now be reinstated in all educational institutions to prevent influenza infections from worsening.
Educational institutions must be safe spaces for learning, not breeding grounds for outbreaks. It is time for all parties to act together before these clusters grow into a crisis as difficult to contain as COVID-19 once was.
Health and infection prevention campaigns — such as wearing face masks, washing hands before and after meals, and practicing proper coughing and sneezing etiquette — should be reintroduced, just as they were during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, the government should intensify campaigns encouraging people to get influenza vaccinations as a long-term strategy to combat viruses that can weaken the immune system.
While the current outbreak may not yet be alarming, that should not be an excuse for complacency. Taking preventive measures now is better than cure, helping to reduce severe cases and ease the burden on healthcare facilities.
