PUTRAJAYA, Sept 17 — Putrajaya told the media today to stop creating unnecessary “panic” with unsubstantiated reports of suspected Ebola cases in Malaysia.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said the government has no intention to hide details from the public and an investigation on a sick patient should not be taken to mean the individual has contracted the deadly disease.

“I want to explain to the media, since many papers ran headlines screaming of a suspected Ebola case. You can’t report it that way, as it’s wrong‎.

“If I have fever and am admitted for it, can I be suspected for Ebola?” he told a press conference today.

He cited recent reports on the 24-year-old Zimbabwean in Sarawak as an example, noting that although the youth was merely admitted for observation, media reports on his case had caused unwanted panic.

“There must be certain criteria before someone is diagnosed for Ebola.

“When the ministry tells you that they are investigating someone for Ebola, then it’s fine, but

you (media) should not take it to your  hands to assume it in such a way as the whole country panics,” Dr Subramaniam said.

“Only take it as such (suspected Ebola) when we tell you… we have nothing to hide,” he continued, adding that the disease detection and quarantine system at the country’s entry points are also put on alert at all times.

The ministry had yesterday confirmed that the suspected Ebola case in Sarawak did not involve the deadly disease, after the Zimbabwean student who triggered the scare tested negative for the virus.

The ministry’s director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the student only has a respiratory tract infection and is recovering well at the Kuching General Hospital.

“The Health Ministry ran lab tests from clinical samples obtained from the patient at the National Public Health Laboratory in Sungai Buloh which came back negative from Ebola virus,” he said in a statement.

“We want to reiterate that there has been no confirmed cases of the Ebola virus in Malaysia.

“However, we have taken measures to prepare for such an eventuality,” he said adding that the Ministry, through the National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre were monitoring the situation.