Kuala Lumpur: About 20 to 30 per cent of the
Malaysian population is expected to be infected with the swine
flu virus, a WHO official said.
The number of confirmed cases and deaths in Malaysia were
rising and it was a cause of concern, World Health
Organisation (WHO) official Dr Hans Tieru said.
Tieru, the WHO in-charge of Brunei, Malaysia and
Singapore, warned of severe cases and rise in deaths due to
the A(H1N1) virus.
"Malaysia, just like other countries around the world and
region, must be prepared to handle the burden.
"This pandemic is still evolving and the new virus is
expected to be around infecting people for at least a year or
more. We are definitely going to see many people around the
world being victims of this new virus. The reality is the
pandemic will not stop soon," the New Straits Times quoted him
as saying.
"Let me warn you, it's going to be around for more than a
year. We are going to see an increasing number of more severe
cases and deaths."
The government must come out with a comprehensive plan to
handle the situation with sufficient human resources, medical
facilities, equipment and medication, the WHO recommended.
Another 270 new cases and six deaths were reported within
the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infected cases
to 2,253 with 38 deaths in Malaysia.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, August 12, 2009, 18:11