Malaysians are reminded to maintain personal hygiene while celebrating festive seasons as theA/H1N1 flu pandemic is still active, a Malaysian official said Saturday.

Malaysian Health Director-General Ismail Merican said in a statement that despite a declining trend of the flu, no one should be ignorant about the disease.

Muslims in Malaysia are still hosting get-together to celebrate Hari Raya, one of Muslims most important festivals, while the Indian community in the country celebrated Deepavali, a festival of theirs associated with legends.

To date, the number of fatalities in the country remains at 77.

On the other hand, Ismail said the Malaysian government did not prevent Malaysians from performing the Haj this year.

However, the Haj pilgrims must receive the seasonal influenza vaccine and the meningococcal vaccine at least two weeks before getting their visas, said Ismail.

He added that this was required by the Saudi Arabian government.

He also reminded the Haj pilgrims to stop smoking, take a healthy diet and avoid crowded places like shopping malls.

(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2009)