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Saturday May 23, 2009

First exam fever, now it’s the flu headache

State Side
By LIM AI LEE


Malaysian students in the United States have had to contend with more than the exam blues, what with the flu outbreak casting a pall over their holiday plans.

EXAMS are over and it’s time to enjoy the three-month summer break.

But for scores of Malaysian students in the US planning to return home, this holiday is not exactly turning out to be an entirely carefree one.

Anxiety has crept into the student community after two students who returned to Malaysia last week were confirmed to have the dreaded A (H1N1) flu.

There are about 5,400 Malaysian students at universities and colleges in the US and many have flown home or made plans to return in the coming weeks.

Strict checks: Students returning home for the holidays are worried about the possibility of being quarantined especially as Malaysian has stepped up efforts to control the spread of the A (H1N1) virus. Thermo scanners, like the one pictured above, are now used to take a person's body temperature at the KLIA.

Since the first reported case in the US last month, the number has climbed to 5,469 on Tuesday, with six deaths reported.

Malaysian students, like most Americans, have been taking precautions to avoid getting the flu.

Still, it is sometimes difficult to avoid crowded places like the subway as the train is the most affordable and accessible form of transport.

Knowing they will be under scrutiny upon their return, some students are going the extra mile to maintain good health, including staying in, drinking lots of fluids, and popping vitamins – and even American ginseng capsules – to boost their immunity prior to their travel.

“My friends in KL keep asking if I will bring the flu virus back,” lamented a third year Liberal Arts student from a New York college who is returning next week.

“I know most of them are joking, but one or two are actually serious. I personally don’t want to fly back and spend my holidays in hospital, which is why I have been taking extra good care of myself,” she said, adding that she carried a hand sanitiser wherever she went and constantly brewed herbal teas to cool her system.

New York University graduate student Leon Lim is heading to Beijing first to participate in an art exhibition before flying home to Malaysia.

“I understand that both China and Malaysia have imposed very strict checks at the airports, especially on those travelling from the US due to the flu scare,” said Lim, an Interactive Telecommunication student who is speech and hearing impaired.

Lim, who has been in the US for eight years now, is hoping there would not be much hassle or communication breakdown for him at the airport.

“I’ve been taking steps to ensure I stay healthy, and avoiding crowded places. I’ve also been taking multivitamins as I am really looking forward to going home to meet up with my family members and friends again,” he confided.

De-Ming Chau, a post-graduate medical student involved in cancer research at Cornell University, is not planning to go back to Malaysia within the next few months due to work commitments.

“I have been getting calls from friends and family members back home reminding me to wear a face mask and to avoid crowded places.”

He noted that people in Asia seemed to be more concerned than in New York, possibly due to the shadow of SARS which claimed so many lives in Hong Kong and China some years ago.

Malaysian student representative Syafiq Nazri at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey said the last few weeks had been tough for students who not only had to face their final examinations but also the flu “headache”, literally.

Those graduating are anxious to know whether their parents would be able to share their convocation joy while students planning to return to Malaysia are worried over the possibility of being quarantined.

Syafiq himself had to face some anxious moments the last few weeks.

“My father spent a chunk of his savings to purchase flight tickets for six family members to visit me before the flu outbreak was reported in the US,” he said.

“When the Health Ministry advised against travel to the US, we were in a dilemma, to cancel the travel plans or proceed with them.”

All has turned out well for Syafiq. His family members arrived on Tuesday to attend his convocation yesterday. They intend to tour Florida and other places of interest before returning to Malaysia.

Syafiq urged students to follow the Malaysian airport requirements when they arrived home and not resist quarantine if it had to be imposed.

“It’s better to lose your social life for seven days than to lose your life,” he said, adding that the flu strain could be unpredictable.

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