The Health Ministry today revealed a 26-year-old man in Penang to be the third probable severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) case in the country, with five new suspected Sars cases reported yesterday.

According to the ministry deputy director-general Dr Mohd Ismail Merican, the Chinese Malaysian has been admitted to the Penang general hospital since April 5 and is showing signs of recovering.

A probable case is o­ne where the afflicted person contracts pneumonia after developing high fever and coughing or breathing difficulties.

Family quarantined

The patient, a direct seller, had visited Beijing, China from March 15 to 23. He had also traveled to Bangkok, Thailand from March 28 to 31.

Upon discovering that he had Sars symptoms o­n March 30, he consulted two private hospitals and two private clinics and was then admitted to the Penang general hospital.

Mohd Ismail said the man's parents and sibling have been placed under home quarantine and that their health is stable.

He added that the Penang health department is now tracing all those who had close contact with the patient, including doctors and paramedics who had treated him.

"Once the health department in Penang manage to contact them, they will be immediately placed under home quarantine," he said.

Sars, an atypical pneumonia whose cause is unknown, was first identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in late February 2003. As of yesterday, WHO says it has infected 2,671 people worldwide, killing 103. There is no cure as yet for the disease.

The first probable Sars death reported in Malaysia was a 64-year-old man from Jerantut, Pahang, who came down with the disease after a short trip to Shanghai, China.

He was first warded at the Tawakal Hospital and later referred to Kuala Lumpur general hospital, where he died o­n March 30.

The second probable Sars case revealed yesterday is a 84-year-old Chinese Malaysian from Teluk Intan, Perak, who had taken a trip to Hong Kong and Guangdong, China.

The second patient has recovered and has been discharged from the Ipoh hospital o­n April 7.

Asked whether coronavirus, which is linked to Sars, was detected in any of the three probable cases, Mohd Ismail said the virus was o­nly found in the first man who had died while the results o­n the other two are still pending.

22 under isolation

Meanwhile, in his daily briefing, Mohd Ismail revealed the five new suspected cases reported as of 6pm yesterday were in Kedah (3), Terengganu (1) and Perak (1). He reported their condition to be stable.

Currently, 22 suspected Sars cases are under isolation in designated hospitals nationwide, with seven in Kedah, three each in Perak and Kelantan, two each in Penang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Johor, and o­ne in Terengganu, said Mohd Ismail.

"They were reported to have returned from Sars affected countries - 11 from China, seven from Singapore and o­ne each from Thailand and Hong Kong."

When pointed out later that the total o­nly reached 20, Mohd Ismail said he will check where the remaining two had returned from.

He stressed that Malaysia has not show any signs of local transmission for Sars so far.

In addition, the five families who were placed under home quarantine after family members came in contact with those showing Sars symptoms, have been cleared, including the family of the man who died.

On the New Straits Times report today that two Singaporeans and o­ne Canadian have been admitted for suspected Sars in Kedah and Langkawi hospitals respectively, he said none of the 22 is a foreigner.

"Maybe they have been discharged. Many people are actually admitted for pneumonia so we can't simply label anyone with Sars symptoms as a suspected Sars case," he said.

Questioned o­n the alleged hospitalisation of a nurse from Tawakal Hospital for suspected Sars, the deputy director-general said he was unaware of the case, adding that none of the reported suspected case is a hospital staff.

Today's figures bring the total of suspected and probable Sars cases to more than 100 since March 18, with o­ne fatality and 22 currently hospitalised. The remaining are said by the ministry to have recovered although no figures have been released o­n this.