PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia: The Health Ministry may have just discovered a loophole in the system to screen for the influenza A (H1N1) virus at entry points.

The thermal scanners at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Low Cost Carrier Terminal earlier this week had failed to detect two passengers who already had fever but medicated themselves with paracetamol.

They were found to be influenza A (H1N1) positive on Thursday, after referring themselves to Sungai Buloh Hospital, within two days after their arrival.

Director-general of Health Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said although it was not wrong for them to consume the medication to bring down their fever, passengers who had done so must report themselves to the health desk upon disembarking from their planes as it would reduce their contact time with others.

The two passengers, a 21-year-old Malaysian man who is back from Melbourne for a holiday and a 21-year-old woman who had returned from a holiday in London, had both failed to do so.

"The scanners should by right be able to detect unwell passengers even if they had taken the medication, but in these cases, the scanners didn't pick it up," he said, adding that the problem was unlikely to recur as incoming passengers were now scanned individually and no longer in bulk as they pass through the scanners.

Malaysia now has 105 confirmed influenza A (H1N1) cases. A six-year old, who is the son of the 38-year-old stewardess who had travelled to Saudi Arabia and Holland and found to be influenza A (H1N1) positive, is the latest locally transmitted case.

Dr Ismail also announced the closure of two classes at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Abdul Rahim 2, Kudat, Sabah yesterday, to contain the spread of the flu there after a 24-year-old teacher who had just returned from Istanbul on June 18, tested positive. She had resumed teaching on Monday before developing fever and cough the next day.

Her family of eight as well as 125 students and teachers of the school had been home-quarantined.

Dr Ismail said the pandemic was manageable as it was still at the first generation transmission stage.

"Unlike transmissions of the second, third or fourth generation where not much can be done to contain its spread, the situation now is under control.

"These advanced stages are already happening in countries like Australia and Japan which have surrendered their war against the virus, as there is nothing more they could do to control transmissions.

"We are trying our best to prevent the situation from spiralling beyond the first generation.

"It is up to the people to ensure that too, by playing their roles."