GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA - Universiti Sains Malaysia yesterday denied the main campus will be shut down due to several influenza A (H1N1) cases among its students who were involved in the organising of the Asia-Pacific Regional Symposium.

USM acting vice-chancellor Prof Omar Osman said only several lectures at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences had been put off as the students were not able to attend classes.

"We give our assurance that this campus is safe. The Health Ministry is constantly monitoring the situation and has advised all lectures and activities to go on as usual," he said in a statement yesterday.

Omar said USM had two 24-hour hotline numbers (04-6534948 and 04-6534938) for queries. He said the seminar, from June 26 to July 1, had been attended by 167 pharmaceutical science students from Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea.

--NST