IPOH: Some 400 National Service trainees and their trainers, held under quarantine at the PLKN Jiwa Murni Camp in Semanggol, some 100km from here, were allowed to return home yesterday.

This included the remaining four trainees still warded at the Taiping Hospital after coming down with fever, said state Health, Environment and Human Resources Committee chairman A. Sivanesan.

"All of them were allowed to return home for a week-long break after having their blood samples taken."

He said the outbreak was first detected on Tuesday after 32 trainees came down with fever and close to 200 others complained of cough, flu and throat infection.

"Eleven trainees were referred to the Taiping Hospital while the rest received treatment at the camp. As a precautionary measure, all of them were placed under quarantine by the Kerian district health office," Sivanesan said.
The actual cause of the outbreak had yet to be identified pending the test results expected to be out in a few days, he said.

It is learnt that the Health Department had carried out active case detection by screening everyone at the camp after the outbreak was first detected.

Sivanesan also suggested that all NS camps be placed under the purview of the Defence Ministry to avoid such cases from recurring.

"The army has been running camps all over the country over the years and there have been no cases of deaths, injuries or outbreak.

"The army has all the expertise and they should be allowed to run the show," he said.

He also vowed to get to the bottom of things by visiting all the NS camps in Perak acompanied by Health Department officials.