Resources from NTS and here is the link http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/Sport/2547846/Article/index_html MALAYSIA'S biggest hurdle in winning a medal in the Sudirman Cup may not be in the form of any of their opponents but could instead be the threat from the Influenza A (H1N1) virus which could force the mixed team event to be postponed. The Sudirman Cup is scheduled to be held in Guangzhou, a close neighbour of Hong Kong where the virus has spread, on May 10-17 and the BA of Malaysia (BAM) is in contact with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on the status of the event. There is cause for concern as Malaysia are in Group A with Denmark, South Korea and Hong Kong and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed that all three countries have been affected by the virus. BAM general manager Kenny Goh said they are concerned about the safety of the national shuttlers and will act based on the advice of BWF and also hosts China. "We are aware of the situation and have been in touch with BWF. So far no restrictions have been announced but we will keep monitoring the situation as we don't want our shuttlers to be at risk," said Kenny yesterday. Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz, the National Sports Institute (NSI) director-general, said he has spoken to Kenny about the outbreak and has been advised on the matter. "WHO has reported that the virus outbreak is at phase 5 and as far as possible, it is better not to travel overseas," said Dr Ramlan. "However, there is still no travel restrictions. It's the responsibility of BAM to consult with BWF and hosts China to ensure it is safe to compete in the Sudirman Cup". "I understand that BAM will be consulting on the matter with BWF tomorrow (today) and we also wish that the hosts will give a genuine feedback on the matter," he added. "The safety of our players should be of paramount importance but if there is a collective decision to carry on with the Sudirman Cup we have taken precautions. "We will be providing all the players and officials an information pack which will outline the precautionary measures the players must take. We will also send our medical officers with the team." BWF has also been monitoring the situation and an official announcement is expected to be made soon. A postponement of the event has not been ruled out as the virus has been spreading fast in Asia as well. The Malaysian players are due to leave for Guangzhou on Thursday.
The number of people who got killed in the road traffic each day is much greater than the swine flu by sum... let's not go anywhere.
Hmm... sounds silly. While safety should be the most important factor, it just doesn't seem like something to really worry about. I mean didn't they find that most of the deaths in Mexico were actually not even related to Swine Flu?
