The Health Ministry has ordered the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) campus in Seri Iskandar, near here, to be closed for one week from Wednesday due to the sudden increase in the number of students to 280 from 55 yesterday with influenza-like symptoms.
State Health, Local Government, Environment, Public Transportation and Consumer and Non-Muslim Affairs Committee chairman, Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, said the urgent measure was taken to prevent the illness from spreading to other areas nearby.
“Although the directive is immediate, we are giving UiTM until tomorrow to vacate the campus which has more than 12,000 students, staff and lecturers.
“Besides that, 20 blood samples have been taken at random from the affected students and we hope to get the results of the tests by tonight and not on Friday as announced earlier,” he told reporters here today.
Dr Mah said the Health Ministry would also investigate to find out why the students at three UiTM campuses contracted the influenza-like illness, forcing the campuses to be closed temporarily.
Besides the Seri Iskandar campus, the other two affected UiTM campuses are in Permatang Pauh, Penang which was also ordered closed from today, and in Lendu, Alor Gajah which closed for nine days from July 8.
Dr Mah advised students and the public experiencing similar symptoms to take health precautions like washing their hands frequently, using a face mask and to remain in the home when quarantined.
“Those with a rather serious condition should immediately go to the hospital for treatment,” he added.
This morning, several medical officers and staff from the state Health Department, led by its deputy director, went to the UiTM Seri Iskandar campus after 55 students were quarantined since yesterday evening.
Last Friday, a group of students were believed to have gone on a three-day course in Kelantan where one of them developed Influenza A(H1N1)-like symptoms and was quarantined as a precautionary measure.
