How does o­ne keep an eye o­n 20,000 people from hot spots of the potentially deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars)?

This is what the Health Ministry is grappling with as at least 20,000 Sarawakians will be returning home from Johor Baru and Singapore for the Gawai celebration in June.

"This issue was brought up at the joint border health committee (Singapore and Malaysia) meeting yesterday, what are we going to do with the Gawai festival, but no answer was given," Health Ministry deputy director-general Dr Mohd Ismail Merican told reporters during his daily briefing this morning.

The Gawai festival falls o­n June 1 and 2 every year.

Logistic problem

Mohd Ismail ( left ) was asked to comment o­n a statement by Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Dr George Chan yesterday that Sarawakians from Sars-affected countries who return home for the celebration might be required to undergo quarantine.

Chan said the stringent measure might cause a lot of inconvenience to Sarawakians working in Singapore and Johor Baru.

To that, Mohd Ismail said the committee must discuss further o­n the matter.

"Definitely, screening has to go o­n (at airports and other entry points). Whoever is sick, feverish or shows respiratory problems, we will treat them accordingly.

"The logistics is an issue. This thing has to be worked out," he stressed.

The committee is scheduled to meet again o­n Monday to discuss the surveillance at the causeway.

Sarawak earlier reported eight suspected Sars cases, including o­ne foreigner. All have been cleared.

Seventh probable case

Meanwhile, the ministry revealed that o­ne new probable case was reported yesterday.

The patient is a 42-year-old Indian Malaysian from Negeri Sembilan who works as a lorry driver. He had returned from Singapore o­n April 8 and developed Sars symptoms o­n Saturday. He was warded at the Seremban general hospital o­n Monday.

"He was admitted as a suspected case earlier, but after we found his chest X-ray showed some changes, we classified him as a probable Sars patient," Mohd Ismail said, adding that the man is in stable condition.

The ministry is identifying who among the family members of the latest probable patient should be put under home quarantine.

The man is the first Indian Malaysian probable Sars patient. Six probable cases reported before were all Chinese Malaysians, except o­ne foreigner who is an Indian national working o­n board a Star Cruise cruiseliner.

Asked about other four probable patients still warded, the deputy director-general said they are all in stable condition.

The sixth probable patient in Penang, a 54-year-old housewife revealed by the ministry yesterday, is "not that bad" now, he added.

"Yesterday I said her condition was serious as she needed a lot of oxygen, but the doctors and hospital had overreacted actually.

Her condition is not that bad and she is quite comfortable now, but she still needs a lot of oxygen," he explained.

On the third probable patient, a 26-year-old Chinese Malaysian man who is a tour manager, Mohd Ismail said the patient still needed intensive treatment. Earlier he said the man, who has been warded at the Penang general hospital since April 5, was showing signs of recovering.

Update

Up till yesterday, 10 new notification cases were reported, four of them suspected Sars.

All of these new cases were isolated in designated hospitals. With 12 releases, the total of isolation cases is now 29. Perak topped the list with six people.

Of the 29 isolated, five are probable cases, 11 suspected, 12 notification and o­ne pending confirmation for suspected Sars. Two days ago, the numbers were four, 12 and 15 respectively.

Five foreigners are among those under isolation, hailing from Nepal, Germany, India, Australia and Saudi Arabia.

Another six people linked to the sixth probable patient were quarantined at home. Of the six, two are the patient's sons while four are medical practitioners who have treated the patient.

The latest figure brings the total number of home quarantines to 19.

Mohd Ismail also assured the public that the Sars virus did not come from animals as scientists worldwide have preliminarily identified the disease to have developed from a new strain of coronavirus.

According to the World Health Organisation's latest figures, 3,293 people have been infected, with 159 deaths to date from 24 countries.