A teacher from SMK USJ 12 who died last week has been confirmed to have died of influenza A (H1N1).

In revealing this today, Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai, said the death of the teacher on Aug 19 has now brought the death toll due to the flu to 69 in the country.

The latest death confirmation also ends a run of three straight days without any fatalities reported.

Liow said the 38-year-old woman initially received treatment at a private clinic on Aug 13, after suffering from fever and cough, two days before.

She was confirmed to tested positive for H1N1 after a rapid test and given symptomatic treatment involving Tamilflu antiviral.

"Five days after receiving treatment she again went to a private hospital after encountering breathing difficulties and 'cyanosis'.

"The victim was later referred to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital where she died," he told reporters today.

The death of the teacher sparked panic with parents complaining that the authorities are refusing to close the school as there was no official confirmation of a H1N1 related death. The school was subsequently closed for a week.

Liow also said 1,455 'Influenza-like illness' (ILI) were receiving treatment at 85 hospitals, including four private hospitals throughout the country.

"From the total, only 285 were confirmed H1N1 cases and 39 of them admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

"Of the 39 in ICU, 33 are high risk patients with chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, chronic respiratory problems, children/babies, post-natal and Down Syndrome," he said.

Meeting with private practitioners

The minister also said that his ministry will be meeting all private hospitals and clinics in the country to brief them of the guidelines for treating Influenza A(H1N1).

Liow said the guidelines were necessary to avoid any misunderstanding or confusion faced by private practitioners when attending H1N1 cases.

He added that the meeting and briefing would take place this week so as to assist in controlling the outbreak quickly.

"Apart from providing speedy and efficient treatment, we also want to ensure that private hospitals and clinics have enough antiviral medicine to treat patients with H1N1 symptoms," he added.

Liow asked the media not to base their reports on statistics when reporting H1N1 cases as it would not reflect the actual situation or status of the disease.

"The numbers reported everyday does not reflect the actual situation and may confuse the public," he said.

- Bernama