He said other factors were also considered, including infection rates, student and teacher attendance trends, signs of active community transmission and the school’s ability to carry out control measures.
“All these elements are carefully evaluated before any decision is made.
“Control measures, including temporary targeted school closures, may be undertaken through consultations and cooperation between the district health office and school based on existing procedures and current risk evaluations,” Bernama reported him as saying during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Dzulkefly was replying to a supplementary question from Suhaizan Kaiat (PH-Pulai) about the threshold for school closures.
To Suhaizan’s original question on the severity of influenza cases nationwide and their impact on educational institutions, he said schools and kindergartens had so far recorded the highest number of infections.
He said based on cumulative data from epidemiological week (ME) 1/2025 to ME 41/2025, schools reported 352 cases (65.8%), kindergartens 96 cases (17.9%) and institutions or colleges 35 cases (6.5%).
Private residences recorded 33 cases (6.2%), care centres six cases (1.1%), workplace clusters 10 cases (1.9%) and prisons three cases (0.6%).
Dzulkefly said the number of infection clusters in educational institutions rose sharply from eight in ME 39 to 111 in ME 40, before reaching 202 in ME 41.
For ME 42 (Oct 12-18), the number of clusters stands at 56 and is expected to show a downward trend.
“Secondary schools recorded the highest number of clusters, increasing from one in ME 39 to 47 in ME 40, and 65 in ME 41.
“Primary schools showed a similar pattern, with clusters rising from three in ME 39 to 26 in ME 40, and peaking at 72 in ME 41.
“Other institutions such as vocational colleges, private schools and nurseries also reported an increase in clusters during the same period,” he said.
On the deaths of two children in Sarawak and Terengganu who were infected with influenza A, Dzulkefly said the exact cause of death was still under investigation.