Pulapol in lockdown over infection
(The Star) – KUALA LUMPUR: All trainees and staff at the Kuala Lumpur Police Training College (Pulapol) have been quarantined pending further instruction from the Health Ministry – with 40 officers from the ministry monitoring the situation.
The move came after Mohd Azizan Azirid, 25, a constable trainee from Kuala Kangsar, died on Tuesday from adenovirus infection.
Pulapol commandant Senior Asst Comm Zulkifli Mohamed said the trainees were not allowed to leave the compound and visitors were not allowed into the vicinity.
He said Pulapol would only re-open after the Health Ministry gave it the green light.
Testing times: Trainees from the Kuala Lumpur Police Training College (Pulapol) having their blood samples taken for tests by doctors and nurses. More than 2,500 trainees and staff have been quarantined after a trainee died of influenza-like illness. – Pic courtesy of PDRM.
As of 10am yesterday, 31 trainees were being treated at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur. Four of them are trainee Inspectors while the remaining 27 are trainee constables.
All are reported to be in stable condition.
There are 2,799 people affected by the quarantine – 1,945 are trainee constables and Inspectors while 854 are Pulapol administration staff.
“About 412 trainees who had been in direct contact with those affected by the adenovirus had been isolated in a separate area of the Pulapol complex,” SAC Zulkifli said.
More than 40 officers from the Health Ministry, including eight doctors, have been placed at the training centre to monitor the situation.
SAC Zulkifli also said the doctors would examine all the trainees to identify and separate those infected.
Family members who would like to obtain more information are asked to contact Pulapol special operations room at 03-2688 2062 and 03-2688 2009.
Adenovirus victims experience influenza-like illness. The symptoms are usually mild respiratory infection, diarrhoea and conjunctivitis and people are infected through direct contact with those infected or through droplets from coughs or sneeze.
The first victim began experiencing influenza-like illness on Feb 15.
Clean-up: Trainees disposing of mattresses at the Pulapol complex Thursday.
Pulapol admitted him to hospital on Feb 28 when his symptoms persisted.
He was admitted to the intensive care unit on March 5 and died at 8.30pm on Tuesday.
The closure of Pulapol did not affect the activities and business in the nearby area.
Hawker Rohaya Wahab, 38, said she knew about the incident after reading Wednesday’s newspaper.
She said that although their hawker centre was less then 500m from the training centre, the trainees did not frequent the place.
Yesterday, media personnel who had gone to Pulapol were not allowed into the premises. Photographs of trainees being examined were given out by the Bukit Aman police media centre.
