The situation, however, is reported to be under control with the students currently receiving treatment.

Johor education and information committee chairman Aznan Tamin said the confirmed cases involved four male and two female students, all of whom have been quarantined according to the prescribed health procedures.

He said so far, no school closure orders have been issued by the health authorities as the spread of the disease is under control.

“The health ministry has carried out close contact screening and taken appropriate steps to ensure that the spread of the disease is fully contained,” he said in a statement.

Aznan said the district health office had also gone to the schools involved to hold a meeting with the school management and disseminate information about the disease, including preventive measures that must be followed by students, teachers and parents.

He said schools were also reminded to always comply with all guidelines and instructions issued by the health ministry, especially on school cleanliness and monitoring of students’ health.

Aznan advised the public not to spread any unverified information or speculation regarding the cases as it could cause concern and panic among the community.

“Any official information can be obtained from the health ministry’s statement or the official Johor government channel,” he said.

Yesterday, health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the cluster was detected on Jan 25, with 33 positive cases identified from screening of 804 close contacts as of Feb 4.