Five colleges and a school were order closed yesterday after some of its students showed symptons of influenza A (H1N1).
Four of the colleges were in Malacca, one in Terengganu and in Johor Baru a school was closed.
In Malacca, four institutes — Institut Perguruan Perempuan Melayu Melaka in Durian Daun, Mara Professional College in Jalan Hang Tuah, Nilam Nursing College in Bachang and the Kolej Yayasan Melaka at Jalan Bukit Sebukur — were ordered to temporarily close for a week due to the suspected influenza A (H1N1) outbreak at their respective campuses.
The directive was issued by the State Health Department. There are approximately 3,000 students at all the four institutes.
The New Straits Times learnt that the H1N1 cases in all of the colleges were detected earlier this week.
At the teacher training institute, for example, sources said that some six trainees had been placed in the isolation ward at the Malacca Hospital while a few others who had shown influenza-like symptoms had been ordered to be quarantined at the institute.
In Kuala Terengganu, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in Dungun was ordered closed for a week yesterday after five of its students showed symptoms of H1N1.
This is the third UiTM branch to close after the institutions in Alor Gajah, Malacca and in Permatang Pauh were closed less then a week ago.
The announcement on the closure was made around 11.30am and students have been given three days to vacate the premises.
It is believed that the five students affected were majoring in a hotel management course and are currently being treated at Dungun Hospital. The blood test results will only be known in three days.
In Johor Baru, a total of 51 students of the Sekolah Menengah Teknik Perdagangan were found to have symptoms related to H1N1.
The school has some 2,000 students and is the first school in Johor to be closed as a preventive measure to curb the spread of the disease.
