PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA: The three-month summer break in the United States begins this month and hundreds, if not thousands, of Malaysian students in that country are expected to return home soon.

With the outbreak of the A (H1N1) flu, which was centred in Mexico and then spread to the US, there is now a fear that some of these students could bring the virus into the country.

The fear appears justified considering that both the confirmed cases of A (H1N1) flu in the country involved students who had come home from the US.

There are about 5,400 sponsored and private students from Malaysia in the US, many of them in Flushing, New York, which has reported an A (H1N1) flu death. Four schools in the area have been closed for a week.

To prevent any problems, Malaysian students in the US who return home and develop flu-like symptoms have been told to quickly seek medical treatment.

Deputy Health director-general Datuk Dr Ramlee Rahmat said such students were advised to get checked by doctors at any of the 28 designated government hospitals during this period if they develop symptoms during the first few days upon returning.

"There is no need to worry. Why is there a need to run away? If anything, they will be tested and be cleared if they are negative," he said yesterday.

Dr Ramlee advised returning students who displayed flu-like symptoms while in the US to also immediately get themselves checked at the hospitals there.

However, he said, there was no need to have additional monitoring for students as they would already be screened with other passengers when they return.

Universiti Malaya senior research fellow and virologist Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Lam Sai Kit said individuals, including students, should postpone their trips if they fell ill before leaving.

"It is best to defer the trip. Why run the risk of coming into the country or infecting anybody on the plane? At the very least, you could wear a mask," he said.

Prof Dr Lam also suggested that leaflets with information about the virus and symptoms be provided to passengers on planes. However, he stressed there was no need to over-react.

Meanwhile, in New York, Malaysian students returning home have been advised to take extra precautions when travelling through places in the US known to be affected by the virus.

Malaysian consul-general Mohd Zamruni Khalid said students should obtain the latest information on the outbreak and new affected destinations.

"Students should immediately contact the local health authority if influenza-like illness is suspected," he said.

The death of an assistant principal in a school in Flushing has caused a stir among the immigrant population there, including the huge Malaysian community.

Malaysian Association of America executive director Jack Liow said there were more than 50,000 Malaysians staying in Queens, most of them in Flushing.

Malaysian student representative, Syafiq Nazri said he was shocked to hear about New York's first fatal case.

"It shows that we should not treat the matter lightly," said the student from New Jersey.

Meanwhile, the website of the Malaysian Students Department in the US states that it has decided to postpone the Midwest Games 2009 that was scheduled to be held in Illinois from tomorrow to Monday in view of the flu.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that up to Monday, the highest numbers of confirmed and probable cases in the US include 696 in Illinois, Wisconsin (613) and Texas (556).