A total of 61 students at a boarding secondary school in Perak have been confirmed to have respiratory symptoms following the spread of an Influenza A cluster since Monday.
Perak Health, Human Resources, Indian Community Affairs and National Integration Committee chairman Datuk A Sivanesan said the Perak State Health Department, through the Kinta District Health Office, immediately took action after the cluster was detected.
He said control measures, including health screenings, epidemiological investigations and laboratory sampling, were carried out to contain the spread among the school community.
“As of Tuesday, all students who had been assessed were reported to be in stable condition and are being continuously monitored,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Sivanesan said that at about 12.08pm on Sept 14, 57 symptomatic students were taken together by bus to a nearby health clinic without prior notification.
He said the situation disrupted patient management at the clinic, while some of the students also did not have identification documents with them.
Following this, at 2pm the same day, an integrated team from the Kinta District Health Office and the health clinic was deployed to the school to conduct centralised screening and examinations.
“The team comprised medical officers, assistant medical officers, healthcare assistants, pharmacy officers, as well as infection control and surveillance unit personnel,” he said.
Sivanesan said the school reported additional symptomatic students the following day, prompting further coordination to ensure the screening process was carried out smoothly and in a controlled manner.
“Based on the reports received, of the 61 students screened, 46 cases were detected as Influenza-Like Illness (ILI), 14 cases involved upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), while one student had conjunctivitis.
“Swab samples were also taken from several students for laboratory testing for further confirmation,” he said.
He added that control measures included isolating symptomatic students, monitoring new cases, providing health education and advising the school against bringing large numbers of students to healthcare facilities without prior coordination.
“Students deemed suitable were also allowed to return home to undergo self-isolation to reduce the risk of transmission within the school and hostel environment,” he said.
