MALACCA, Malaysia: One trainee has died and 12 warded in the Malacca Hospital following an outbreak of an infectious disease at the Road Transport Department academy in Tiang Dua near here.

Of those warded, nine are in the isolation ward and three in the Intensive Care Unit.

Eighty-five other trainees have been quarantined at the academy.

State health director Ghazali Othman confirmed last night that the trainees are not infected by the influenza A (H1N1) virus but are suspected to have contracted bacterial meningitis.

He said health officials are trying to find out if they had contracted the disease during a field trip on April 27 involving 300 trainees.

According to Ghazali, the trainees were broken up into three groups of 100 each for the two-day trip to Pedas in Negri Sembilan, Muar in Johor and Bukit Katil here.

He added that they were given leave from May 1 until May 3.

On Monday, one trainee complained of having a headache, fever, runny nose and cough and died on the way to hospital.