The Health Ministry said today it has done an "excellent" job in containing the Sars outbreak and warned the public not to spread gloom as two more suspected cases were reported.

"We should give ourselves a pat o­n the back because we o­nly have seven probable cases so far and none of our healthcare workers are infected," health ministry deputy director-general Ismail Merican told reporters.

"It shows that our preventive and control measures are more or less excellent."

Ismail urged Malaysians to back government's efforts and shun unfounded rumours in the marketplace that exaggerate the situation in the country.

"Business is already slow. Economy is coming down. All the hotels are like haunted houses," he said. "We must tell the world that Malaysia is not an affected country."

Not as severe

The Health Ministry held talks Monday with 5,000 Chinese associations to allay panic among the community, the most affected due to frequent travel to affected countries China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.

Although the actual health impact of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) here is not as severe as in other countries, it has taken a huge toll o­n businesses.

Arrivals from China have dropped to near zero, those from Hong Kong and Taiwan down by 90 percent and Singapore arrivals, its top market, fell by 80 percent, said the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agencies (Matta).

Ismail said the two new suspected Sars cases involved a 40-year-old man who fell sick after a recent trip to China, and a 20-year-old technician who lives in Singapore but developed fever o­n Monday after returning to Malaysia.

Seven probable Sars cases including two deaths have been recorded in Malaysia so far but the government says there has been no evidence of local transmission yet.

It has taken tough measures to curb the spread of the disease, including tightening immigration rules for travellers from affected countries and threatening to jail quarantine evaders. - AFP