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Meningitis scare in
Seremban after cop dies
SEREMBAN: Negri Sembilan Director
of Health Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar has
advised the people to remain calm
following a meningitis scare at Tuanku
Ja’afar Hospital where a policeman
died yesterday.
An investigation was being con-
ducted to determine whether the
policeman had died of any contagious
disease, he said.
The body has been sent to Kuala
Lumpur Hospital for a post mortem.
“I can confirm that there has been
no case of any contagious disease
such as Influenza A(H1N1) in the
state,” Zainal Ariffin told reporters at
his office here.
He said Negri Sembilan, like the
other states, always took precaution-
ary measures in the case of conta-
gious diseases.
News of the death of the police-
man, who hailed from
Sabah, caused a stir at the hospital
after people saw the hospital staff
handling the body wearing face
masks and gloves.
Hospital director Dr Jaafar Che
Mat told Bernama earlier he did not
dismiss the possibility of the police-
man having died from meningitis.
A hospital staff approached by
Bernama said the use of face masks
and gloves was a normal procedure
to prevent the spread of any conta-
gious diseases.
A meningitis outbreak in Malacca
early this month had sent many peo-
ple to hospital there for suspected
meningitis, with 46 people still re-
maining in an Isolation Ward.
The outbreak, at the Road Trans-
port Department (JPJ) Academy there,
resulted in the death of a trainee.
All suspected H1N1 cases
tested negative
PUTRAJAYA: All the suspected influenza
A(H1N1) cases tested in Malaysia have proven
India to be negative, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow
Tiong Lai said yesterday.
may be They include the case in Ipoh involving a
heading man who had visited Thailand last week and
for weak that of a Sarawak woman who was admitted
to the isolation ward of Sarawak General Hos-
coalition pital on Wednesday following her return from
pg 10 Massachusetts.
“As of today (Thursday), there has been no
case of influenza A(H1N1). We are a nation that is
free of this virus,” Liow told reporters after chair-
ing a meeting on the export of seafood products
to the European Union here.
| FRIDAY MAY 15 2009
He said the ministry had examined 60
people for the virus so far, including 10 on
Wednesday alone.
“We will continue to monitor the situa-
tion closely. I updated the cabinet yesterday
(Wednesday) that long-term counter-meas-
ures are in place to handle the pandemic,”
he said.
“We cannot treat the matter lightly and
must tighten checks at all entry points
to ensure the virus does not come to our
shores.”
Director-General of Health Tan Sri Dr
Mohd Ismail Merican said no new countries
had been affected by the pandemic, leaving
the number of countries with confirmed
cases at 33.
However, he said the World Health Or-
ganisation (WHO) reported that the number
of cases had increased to 6,079 with 63
deaths, the latest two deaths happening in
Mexico.
In a statement, Ismail said WHO was
still maintaining the pandemic alert level at
Phase Five and had not recommended any
restrictions in terms of travel or trade or the
need to close borders at any country.
“However, it is important for people expe-
riencing symptoms like fever, cough, flu or
throat irritation to delay trips abroad while
those returning to Malaysia from overseas
with similar symptoms should seek medical
treatment,” he said.
Ismail said that as of midnight on
Wednesday, the Health Ministry’s Crisis
Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC)
received notification of six suspected cases
admitted to the isolation ward of Sungai
Buloh Hospital, two cases at Raja Permaisuri
Bainun Hospital, Ipoh, and a case each at
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu,
and Sarawak General Hospital, Kuching.
All the cases tested negative for Influenza
A(H1N1).
A total of 12,246 individuals were also
screened at entry points. – Bernama
Court allows
use of ‘keling’ in
dictionary
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here
ruled yesterday that the use of the word
“keling” is allowed in the Kamus Dewan
Third Edition as the word in the dictionary
is for learning purposes.
Justice Lau Bee Lan, who made the deci-
sion in chambers, dismissed the Selangor and
Federal Territory Angkatan Pelapor India
Muslim’s (Apim) appeal against the decision
of High Court senior assistant registrar Nik
Isfanie Tasmin Wan Abdul Rahman.
On Dec 29, 2006, Nik Isfanie Tasmin al-
lowed Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka’s (DBP)
application to strike out an originating sum-
mons over the word “keling” filed by Apim.
DBP’s counsel, Md Radzi Mustafa, told
reporters Lau held that the use of the word
in the dictionary was not mala fide for any
party and that DBP was only carrying out its
statutory duty in including the word in its
dictionary.
Asked whether the word is still being
used in the fourth edition in the dictionary,
he said it was still used but no examples
were given.
On Dec 22, 2005, Apim chairman Ramli
@ Mohd Othman Ravinthranath Abdullah
filed an originating summons against DBP
claiming the word “keling” in its Kamus
Dewan dictionary was an insult to the Indian
community.
DBP then applied to strike out the suit on
the grounds that the word in the Kamus De-
wan Third Edition was not meant to give the
bad connotation of causing chaos, disturbing
the peace, inciting hatred, animosity, riot,
disharmony or disunity, as claimed by Apim.
– Bernama