Patient arrived Kuala Lampur 2/4 from Guangdong, China
Traveled to Sandakan, Sabah then Kota Kinabalu
# 8289
Malaysia’s Ministry of Health has reported their first imported case of H7N9 in a female tourist (age 67) who arrived in Kuala Lampur on either the 3rd or 4th of February (media reports differ), and then traveled to Sandakan, Sabah and Kota Kinabalu. T
She was hospitalized on Feb 7th in Kota Kinabalu, and tested positive for the H7N9 virus on Feb 11th. She is currently described as being on a ventilator in ICU, but in stable condition.
The MOH announcement is in Malaysian, and in a PDF format, making translation difficult. For now, the best coverage appears to be coming from The Star newspaper.
First H7N9 case detected in Malaysia involving Chinese tourist
Updated: Wednesday February 12, 2014 MYT 5:44:52 PM
by lee yen mun
PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry has confirmed the first Influenza A (H7N9) case in the country, involving a female tourist from China.
The import case involves a 67-year-old Chinese woman, who had travelled from Guangdong, China, to Kuala Lumpur on Feb 4.
The woman went to Sandakan, Sabah the next day before going on to Kota Kinabalu on Feb 6.
"The woman was referred to a private hospital in Kota Kinabalu on Feb 7, and (after two screenings) on Feb 11, the sample tested positive for the Influenza A (H7N9) virus.
"She is currently receiving treatment in the ICU, put on ventilator and is in a stable condition," Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam said in a press conference, here, Wednesday.
Dr Subramaniam stressed that there was no cause for panic over the matter as the risk for human transmission of H7N9 is "very low".
Malaysia is now added to the short list, which includes Taiwan and Hong Kong, of places outside of Mainland China, that have detected imported H7N9 cases.
