THE H1N1 SAGA IS HERE...

The outbreak of the Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic seems like to be the most talked about story yet so far. It was only last month that the total of cases of reported to the Ministry of Health was only less than 150. However, a full month later, the number of cases leaps more than 600% to over 1,100 cases. Only in this week alone, 4 deaths were reported.

I sensed that with the outbreak been a little beyond and out of control where more than 50 cases reported daily, it was not that hard to convince myself that someday the outbreak will eventually hit the area inside my campus fences. What feared the most were that the outbreak will become more widespread and situation might get worst with time.

The prediction eventually came true on Sunday (July 26, 2009). Not that I am glad that this thing had happen but the implications will not be pleasing at all. With the difficulty to content the widespread, the pandemic will eventually hit the campus finally if not now. With the announcement that the Influenza A (H1N1) has finally arrived, my campus was officially shut down for a period of a week.

Guess what happen and that day, it kinds of making me frustrated and irritated.

DAYS BEFORE: There were reports of students in the hostel fell ill with showing symptoms of flu-like

SUNDAY (26 JULY): An estimated more than 50 students were ill and shows flu-like symptoms in the hostel. Suspected cases of H1N1 were reported and the hostel administration received letter from the MOH to shut down the hostel for a week for quarantine purposes.

MONDAY (27 JULY):
8.00 am – Class as usual as if nothing had happen. I arrived at my campus and there are many students still around.
9.26 am – Some students informed our lecturer that the students should go back to the hostel or their home with immediate effects. Hoax or false alarm you may call it but it eventually was true.
9.54 am – Now I felt limbo because since there were official announcement been made on the official university site or from any notice board, I cannot leave just like that. The administration was still discussing whether total shut down is necessary (WHAT!!)
10.40 am – Morning classes for my faculty has been cancelled but afternoon classes still in limbo.
10.52 am – I went to library but it was closed. I realized that the laboratory, computer lab and clinics were closed, leaving me nowhere to go.
12.30 pm – Afternoon classes were cancelled but classes for the next day remains in limbo. For update, we have to stick ourselves to the Facebook. (AGAIN WHAT!!)
2.54pm – I received text from a friend of mine that the classes will be suspended for a week.

What irritates me is the fact that they were so limbo and inefficient in taking actions.

1. If there are students been infected and been asked to close down the hostel, why didn’t they do it in the first place on Sunday night? They still allowed students to leave the hostel for classes when quarantine was supposed to be undergone. So what happen to the “Quarantine”?
2. If the hostel was closed, why didn’t the campus been closed at the first place? If no one was supposed to leave the hostel, how many people will attend for classes then? With more than half of the students staying in hostels, would it be logical that classes still be held?
3. When instructed to return to the hostel and while other students from other faculty have done so, why do we have to wait for so long for a so-called ‘Official Decision” to be announced? If the classes needed to be suspended in the wake of such circumstances, why would they need to discuss for such a length until a decision was made?

Logically, should they take the actions sterner and appropriately in the first place? Why risk more local transmission among the students who went to the campus because they didn’t shut down the hostel in the first place? Why would take a long time to decide what to do?

In emergency time when outbreaks occur, would you expect things like this to occur? Blame it on the bureaucracy, please! Things like this should not have happen. Failed professionalism, failed mentality. That’s Malaysia.