SEREMBAN, MALAYSIA: Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the death of a 16-year-old student here on Friday was probably caused by meningoencephalitis and not meningitis as earlier alleged. He said this was based on initial investigations which would be confirmed after results of samples sent to the Institute of Medical Research (IMR) were obtained.

"When the victim was brought to us (Seremban Hospital), she was already in a critical condition and had earlier been treated at other clinics. The victim was already in a coma and died after two days," he said.

Had the victim been suffering from meningitis, he said, she could have been treated with antibiotics, which are proven to help victims recover.

"In this case, there was already nothing our doctors could do... antibiotics cannot cure meningoencephalitis," he said after the state MCA convention here yesterday.

Chan Hui Ven, a Form Four student at Chung Hua High School, was admitted to the Seremban Hospital on July 8.

Liow said there was no connection with the H1N1 cases which were detected at the school, forcing it to be closed for a week last month. The school was reopened last Monday.

It is learnt that the victim was one of two students who were sent home last Monday after she was found to have a high temperature.

"This is the first such case in Seremban, but not in the country. We have had similar cases in other places.

"This is a virus passed through the respiratory circulation and a person only contracts it through direct contact with polluted water or in unhygienic surroundings."

Liow later visited the victim's family in Taman Seremban Jaya.

"There is no cause for worry. We will wait for the results from the IMR before drawing any conclusions."

Meningoencephalitis has been defined as a medical condition that resembles both meningitis, an infection or inflammation of the meninges (membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord), and encephalitis, an infection or inflammation of the brain.