Another hospital among 27 sites fined

Star: Another hospital, this time in the private sector, has been found having breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquito.
The hospital, fined RM150, was among 27 places found with mosquito breeding grounds in the past two weeks.
A total of nearly RM10,000 in fines were collected.
The others were 12 construction sites, two institutions of higher learning, eight schools and four factories.
Last week, six government hospitals and five schools throughout the country were booked for having Aedes mosquito breeding grounds within their premises.
State Health Committee chairman P.K. Subbaiyah said the authorities would from now on impose the maximum fine of RM500 on offenders for each Aedes mosquito breeding ground found.
“A second-time offender will be taken to court and be fined up to RM10,000 or be jailed up to two years or both,” he said during the official launch of fogging teams at the Sungai Dua MCA service centre yesterday.
Subbaiyah said that from Jan 1 until yesterday, 756 dengue cases had been reported in Penang.
There were 23 reported dengue cases from Sunday to yesterday, while 60 people were admitted to hospitals on Thursday and yesterday for suspected dengue, he said.

Natural foe to check Aedes spread

Star: Fight fire with fire. Bring in a bigger mosquito from the jungle to feed on the young of its city cousins.
The larvae of one jungle variety, the Toxorhynchites splendens, consume larvae of other mosquito species, particularly the Aedes aegypti.
These cannibalistic mosquitoes are bigger in size but they do not attack people because they are not blood-suckers.
The adult Toxorhynchites splendens subsists on nectar and other natural carbohydrates.
USM Vector Control Research Unit coordinator Assoc Prof Zairi Jaal said the Toxorhynchites splendens breeds in tree crevices.
He suggested the mosquitoes be introduced in areas where they do not naturally occur, such as urban zones.
“Introducing the mosquito in the city may help check the breeding of Aedes in trees. It is not a long term measure but it can help in a small way,” he told The Star.
In a scientific paper on the Toxorhynchites, USM associate professor Dr Yap Han Heng wrote: “We believe we have a vegetarian which does no harm to any human being, and is at the same time a deadly foe to the young of other kinds of the genus (mosquitoes).”
As the Toxorhynchites splendens is a natural predator of Aedes larvae, Prof Zairi said, it would be a suitable agent to help fight the menace of dengue.
“The mosquito will not bite humans and will not transmit any disease. We can breed the larvae and introduce them into tree holes or bring in adult mosquitoes for them to reproduce,” he said.
There are dozens of species of Toxorhynchites around the world and they share a similar trait – their larvae have a voracious appetite for the young of other mosquitoes.

Aedes breed in plastic bags and styrofoam packs, too

Star: Clogged drains and rain gutters may be the obvious items to check for stagnant water, but don’t discount the rubbish.
Used styrofoam food boxes and plastic bags can easily trap rain water and provide the right conditions for Aedes mosquitoes to breed.
“We have to drastically reduce the amount of rubbish strewn indiscriminately,” said Universiti Sains Malaysia Vector Control Research Unit co-ordinator Assoc Prof Zairi Jaal.
“We have to tackle the problem at the grassroots, especially the way we dispose of rubbish like styrofoam lunch packs and containers which are potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
“Mosquitoes even find their way into teh tarik plastic bags left behind by people,” he said.
Prof Zairi said abandoned construction sites on the island were one of the major sources of the dengue outbreak in the state, while other potential breeding grounds include waterlogged patches in football fields.
USM entomologist Prof Abu Hassan Ahmad urged the people not to shut their windows and doors when local authorities carry out fogging in the neighbourhood.
“People have a tendency to close all their windows and doors when the authorities fog their area. By doing so, the mosquitoes indoors will not be affected,” he said.
Prof Abu Hasan said that for safety’s sake, the people should bear with the smell from the fogging.
He said the chemicals used in the fogging were harmless to people.

Dengue Updates: Seven warded at UMMC daily

NST: An average of seven dengue victims a day have been admitted to the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) over the past two months.
Many more with dengue symptoms have been treated at the hospital’s out-patient department.
UMMC Infectious Disease specialist Dr Tan Lian Huat said most of the patients now were adults, unlike early this year when most were children.
The hospital has a special ward for dengue patients.
"What’s important is early diagnosis of the disease and admission to reduce fatality rates," he said.
"Many people seek treatment after suffering from dengue fever symptoms for at least five days or more."
Dengue symptoms are high fever, severe headache, retro-orbital (behind the eye) pain, severe joint and muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and rashes.
Dr Tan said the rash may appear over most parts of the body three to four days after the fever. A second rash may appear later in the course of the disease.
"Bed rest and proper treatment is advisable during the acute febrile phase. Aspirin and Ponstan should be avoided since they can cause gastritis, bleeding and acidosis. Paracetamol is preferable," said Dr Tan, adding that heart patients can continue with their aspirin intake.
Analgesics or mild sedatives may be required for patients with severe pain.
Dr Tan said more fluids and electrolyte therapy were recommended for patients with excessive sweating or vomiting.
"Our main concern is for patients suffering from Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF). The prognosis of DHF depends on early recognition of plasma leakage. This can be achieved by frequent monitoring for a drop in the platelet count," he said.
Early DHF symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, joint aches, malaise, decreased appetite and vomiting. The acute phase symptoms include breathing difficulty, shock-like state, sweating (diaphoretic), cold and restlessness.
Dr Tan said physical examination may reveal low blood pressure, rapid pulse, rash, red eyes, red throat, swollen glands and an enlarged liver.
"Because DHF is caused by a virus, there is no known cure or vaccine and the only treatment is to treat the symptoms," he said.

Cabinet Approves Contingency Plan To Fight Bird Flu

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 13 (Bernama) -- The Cabinet Wednesday approved the contingency plan to fight bird flu proposed by the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry, which includes action to deal with a hypothetical epidemic.
Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the contingency plan, to be implemented by the ministry, was ready to take off.
"The Cabinet was satisfied with the various aspects of the plan, such as the workforce to be deployed," he told reporters after chairing his ministry's post-Cabinet meeting.
He said the plan included the type of action to be taken if the disease spread to a wide area and the steps to be taken in the event of an epidemic, including the destruction of the infected fowls.
An operation room and an action committee at the ministry and state levels and the financial commitment were also proposed in the plan, he added.
Several laboratories such the Animal Research Institute in Ipoh and the veterinary laboratories at Bukit Tengah would carry out diagnosis and tests.
Muhyiddin said if the disease struck, the affected areas would be cordoned off to facilitate efforts to fight the disease.
He also said the ministry would not issue any import permits for animals or birds and would step up cooperation with the relevant agencies, especially at the entry points into the country.
"We will also step up cooperation with neighbouring countries to face the problem," he said.

Radicare To Appraise Contractors Following Aedes Find

KOTA BAHARU, Oct 13 (Bernama) -- Radicare (M) Sdn Bhd which provides non-clinical support services to hospitals, plans to conduct a performance assessment on its 2,000 contractors after aedes mosquitoes were found breeding in the premises of three hospitals in its service.
Its executive director Datuk Abdul Rahman Hamzah said the appraisal would begin this year on all its contractors, 90 per cent of whom were bumiputeras.
Action would be taken against those who did not provide satisfactory service, he said after the breaking of fast and presenting school uniforms to 136 orphans here yesterday evening.
"This is to ensure the contractors enhance their quality of service after actions were taken on hospitals in Tanah Merah, Kuantan and Jerantut for allowing their premises to be aedes breeding grounds recently," he said.
Radicare, which began its operations in 1997, currently provides services to 47 hospitals and health institutions in Kelantan, Pahang, Terengganu, Selangor and the Federal Territories.
"We have plans to expand our coverage to other states", Abdul Rahman said.

Eggs of aedes are hardy, say experts

Star: The aedes aegypti mosquito which used to breed indoors is now laying eggs outdoors, according to studies by Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) entomologist Prof Abu Hassan Ahmad said the eggs had been found in tree crevices.
The aedes albopictus, another dengue carrier, also lays its eggs in tree crevices that are water-logged.
According to USM Vector Control Research Unit coordinator Assoc Prof Zairi Jaal, 90% of the aedes albopictus lay their eggs in trees.
“The eggs are hardy and can withstand dry conditions for up to six months,” he said, adding that the dried eggs would hatch faster than fresh eggs upon contact with water.
“Dried eggs hatch faster because they are highly stressed. Our lab tests have shown that when dried eggs are put in water and the air vacuumed out, they hatch within four minutes,” Prof Zairi said.
Both experts said the aedes aegypti, which is native to Africa, was the deadlier of the two species.
Aedes mosquitoes tend to feed in the evening when the sun goes down. The insect feeds on several people at one time, unlike the Anopheles (associated with malaria) that usually feeds on one victim.
“Mosquitoes are moving into suburban areas and no longer thrive only in urban zones,” said Prof Zairi.
“We have found the aedes aegypti even in Teluk Kumbar (in Penang), and that area is suburban.”
Uncontrolled development, he said, was one of the main causes for the change in the mosquito breeding pattern.
Prof Abu Hassan warned that dengue was here to stay. “There is no way to wipe out dengue locally or globally. The only way to combat the menace is to tackle public apathy.”
He said it was very important to reduce mosquito breeding sites, as fogging only killed the adult mosquito.
And draining water containers is not enough. The people must also clean out the containers.
“The mosquito eggs are stuck to the sides of the containers even when the water is drained. They can survive for six months without water and when they come into contact with water, they will hatch,” he said.

Traditional medicine with a dash of Viagra

Star: A manufacturer dealing in traditional medicine capsules has been found to have made and sold products that included scheduled poisons, including Viagra.
This was uncovered by the Health Ministry's pharmaceutical enforcement branch recently.
The manufacturer had applied to register its various traditional medicines with the ministry's Pharmaceutical Services Division some six years ago, said the enforcement branch's deputy director Dr Ahmad Mahmud.
“However, the moment it received the approval and registration number, it added scheduled poisons – including sildenafil (Viagra), painkillers and anti-histamines – to some of its products.
“It is illegal, but for many companies, it is a trend now to market their medicine as sex stimulants to increase their sales.”
Dr Ahmad said if a product was registered as traditional medicine, it must remain that; and nothing else should be added to it.
“Following tip-offs from the public, we decided to raid all 12 premises where the capsules are stored in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor and Pahang,” Dr Ahmad told a press conference yesterday.
“Initial investigations showed that one of the products did have sildenafil in it,” he said, adding that the company sold the medicine via direct selling.
Eleven of the 12 premises belonged to distributors.
The raid focused on the manufacturer's production facility, at a shoplot in the Klang Valley.
Authorities seized about RM300,000 worth of capsules.
According to Dr Ahmad, offenders could be fined up to RM25,000 or jailed up to three years or both for the first offence; and fined up to RM50,000 or jailed up to five years or both for the second and subsequent offences under the Drug and Cosmetics Control Regulation 1984.
The company involved can also be fined up to RM50,000 for the first offence or fined up to RM100,000 for the second and subsequent offences.

All poultry may be culled

NST: The worst-case scenario on bird flu would compel the authorities to cull all poultry nationwide or embark on a mammoth vaccination campaign.
Veterinary Services Department director-general Datuk Dr Hawari Hussein said either of these would be done if the bird flu spread too rapidly or could not be contained.
He said culling was still the most effective way of containing its spread.
Vaccination was an alternative but its success depended on the availability of vaccine.
Dr Hawari said the initial measures to be taken in the event of infection was rapid destruction of all infected or exposed birds, proper disposal of carcasses, quarantining and rigorous disinfection of farms.
"We will also impose restrictions on the movement of poultry within the country," he added.
Dr Hawari said the department would try to prevent the spread of the disease to other animals and humans.
Avian influenza has led to 65 deaths in Asia, most of them in Vietnam and Thailand.
While there have been no known cases of person-to-person transmission, World Health Organisation officials and other experts have warned the virus could mutate into a form that spreads easily among people. Three influenza pandemics have occurred over the last century.
Dr Hawari said the department was also monitoring the possibility of direct or indirect contact of domestic flocks with wild migratory waterfowl.
He said humans could become infected by contact with discharge from infected birds, especially faeces and respiratory secretions.

Need To Address Mental Health Issues At Workplace

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 (Bernama) -- National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye ion Wednesday called for urgent steps be taken to address mental health issue at the workplace.
Lee said neglecting mental health and psychological factors at the workplace is not only detrimental to the individual worker but also directly affects efficiency, effectiveness and output of the enterprise.
"Employee performance, frequent illness, absenteeism, accidents and staff turnover are all affected by employees' mental health status.
"Mental health problems are not merely confined to those in mental institutions but also affect common people. No country or person is immune to mental disorders and their impact in psychological, social and economic terms is high," he said in a statement.
Lee said mental health is not just about mental illness but covers areas such as feeling of well-being, the ability to cope with life's challenges and to have a positive attitude towards oneself.
Therefore, he said mental health should no longer be ignored in the community. On the contrary, it should be given adequate attention in relation to other health problems, he added.

Super resistant aedes evolving

Star: Bad news. The aedes mosquito, the source of the dengue fever across the country, has evolved into a super resistant menace.
Even its eggs can survive for a long period in very harsh and tough conditions without water.
Findings by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) entomologist Prof Abu Hassan Ahmad showed the eggs of the aedes mosquito can withstand extremely dry conditions.
And they are able to survive in these conditions for up to six months.
However, said Prof Abu Hassan, the eggs would need to be laid in water first.
“Our lab tests have shown that the eggs can survive for four months and we are sure they can even last up to six months without a drop of water.
“We have had a very long dry spell and in the last month we’ve had rain.
“With the onset of rain, the eggs will hatch and the larvae will find their way into waterlogged areas,” he told The Star.
Prof Abu Hassan spent more than 20 years studying mosquitoes, and nearly lost his life to dengue eight years ago.
He said fogging would only kill the adult mosquitoes but would not affect the eggs that had been laid.
“The eggs are laid in tree crevices, drains and containers when water collects there.
“It is impossible to destroy the eggs totally.
“Our efforts should be to drastically reduce the number of adult mosquitoes,” he added.

In Sarawak, studies by the Miri City Council’s health and environment department found these astonishing and unexpected characteristics of the aedes mosquito:
# THE eggs have a very strong shell that cannot dry or crack for as long as they are incubating in mud, soil, damp leaves or wet sand;
# THE eggs can survive for a long period under such conditions and will hatch when the next round of rain comes, forming a small pool of water to enable the larvae to swim out;
# CONTINUOUS fogging with the same chemical will, in a short time, result in a change in the immune system of the aedes mosquito, enabling the insect to adapt to the chemical and shield itself from poisonous effects;
# THE mosquitoes can breed in all types of water, even in clean water in bath tanks or any storage tank.
“These studies have helped us formulate new fogging components to kill the adult mosquitoes,” said city Mayor Datuk Wee Han Wen.
“We have to keep changing the mixture of chemicals by using different varieties at regular intervals.
“We are also conducting ‘search and destroy’ missions in all open spaces, even where there is no stagnant or clean water,” he said.
So far this year, Miri has recorded 60 confirmed cases of dengue, but there has been no death.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek had said that the Government had started to use larvicidal biological control Bti (bacillus thuringiensis israeliensis) in the fogging of dengue-prone areas since August.

Dengue Update: Weather conducive to Aedes

NST: For the second consecutive week, the number of new dengue cases exceeded 1,000.
And even more are expected in the next few weeks given weather conditions.
The Government had earlier said that an epidemic would be declared if the number of dengue cases surpassed 1,000 a week.
Last week, there were 1,201 cases with four deaths; up by 178 from the previous week’s 1,023 with two deaths.
The Health Ministry’s disease control director, Dr Ramlee Rahmat, said the current weather, alternating between heat and rain, was conducive to the breeding of Aedes.
He warned that if the authorities and homeowners did not clear collected rainwater and dispose of rubbish and containers, more people would be hospitalised with dengue.
Last week’s toll brought the number of dengue cases between Jan 1 and Oct 8 to 29,820, with 76 people dead. In the same period last year, there were 28,290 cases with 73 deaths.
The latest victim was a 30-year-old production executive with BASF Petronas in Gebeng, Kuantan, who died of dengue haemorrhagic fever on Saturday at the Kuantan Hospital.
Dr Ramlee said the executive had gone for a holiday in Kuala Langat, Selangor, and upon his return fell ill on Oct 4 and was hospitalised the following day at the Kuantan Medical Centre.
On Oct 8, when his condition worsened, he was transferred to the Kuantan Hospital where he died the same day.
In Seremban, Bernama reports that the hospital here cancelled the contract of a company for allowing the premises to become a breeding ground for the Aedes mosquito.
Seremban Hospital director Dr Zailan Adnan said the company had been engaged to build a new wing.
He was commenting on the summons issued to the hospital on June 2 after it was found to be a breeding ground for the mosquito.

Malaria: Five under watch

NST: Five Indian nationals were admitted to the Ipoh Hospital with malaria recently, with one of them identified as a carrier of the disease.
Health Ministry Disease Control director Dr Ramlee Rahmat said the five, all of whom worked at the same quarry, were released on Friday but were being kept under observation for signs of relapse.
"Our investigations revealed that one of them, who returned from India after a three-month holiday, was the carrier.
"He was admitted to the hospital last Tuesday after developing symptoms of malaria," he told the New Straits Times.
Dr Ramlee said four of the 40-year-old’s colleagues at the quarry in Simpang Pulai were admitted the following day with the same symptoms, and blood tests confirmed they had contracted malaria.

Equipment To Detect Breast Cancer Painlessly To Make Debut

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- A Russian-made equipment to detect breast cancer will be introduced at an awareness campaign here on Nov 5 and 6.
The campaign, organised by the MCA Wanita divisions of Wangsa Maju, Setiawangsa, Titiwangsa, Batu and Bukit Bintang with the cooperation of Chinese herbal medicine dealer Eu Yan Sang, will be held from 11am to 8pm on the two days at the Eu Yan Sang head office in Shaw Parade, Jalan Thamby Dollah.
The equipment, named Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT), is painless to the user unlike the mammogram procedure.
"The pain experienced during the mammogram procedure is one of the reasons why many women do not go for periodic checks," said Parliamentary Secretary in the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry Chew Mei Fun.
Women who took the EIT scan during the campaign would need to pay only half the cost of RM120 with the other half sponsored by Eu Yan Sang, she told a news conference, Monday.
Chew, who is the MCA Wanita deputy chief, said the EIT could also be used to prevent breast cancer as it could detect damaged tissue that might lead to breast cancer, which would enable the patient to seek early treatment.
Bio Impedance Sdn Bhd, the supplier of the equipment, said it could be used by women aged from 15 years, unlike the mammogram procedure which was only suitable for women aged 40 and above.
Bio Impedance's business development director Jailani Abdul Rahman said a scan using the EIT would take between 12 and 20 minutes, and the result would be known immediately.

Major boost for higher education

NST: This is the news that Malaysian parents have been waiting to hear: Malaysia is going to be home to a top-class medical university and business management institution, modelled on the famous Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Besides providing more places for locals otherwise forced to venture abroad, these two institutions will also give the country’s ambitions of becoming a regional education hub a major fillip.
It also signals a move by the administration to aggressively chase tie-ups with brand- name foreign universities.
Special Envoy to the Higher Education Ministry Datuk Seri Effendi Norwawi said the Government planned to set up a business management institute and a medical university.
He said the medical university could be a collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland. The college of surgeons dates back to 1784 while the college of physicians was established in 1654.
Effendi said a team from the ministry visited Ireland recently and he had several discussions with Irish ambassador to Malaysia Daniel Mulhall on the matter.
"All I can say now is that it has been very encouraging," he added.
A top-class medical university would satisfy the twin needs of meeting the demand for places to study medicine for Malaysians and also attracting students from Indonesia and other countries in the region to study here.
At present, Malaysian students wanting to obtain a medical degree from a reputable university in Britain or Ireland have to spend up to RM1 million.
Effendi said the business management institution will involve a tie-up with Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, one of eight Ivy League nstitutions in the United States.
"We need an institution to develop human capital here which will not only serve the private but the public sector as well... the business institution will be an independent body and Wharton School will be one of our partners," he said, adding that he is personally looking into the setting up of the institute.
One of his chief tasks as a Special Envoy is to persuade top-notch universities to either set-up branch campuses here or work with other institutions here.

An eTHIS solution for Gleneagles

TechCentral: Kompakar Inc Bhd’s healthcare solutions unit, Kompakar eHealth Tech Sdn Bhd, has signed a RM1.5mil deal to implement its Total Hospital Information System (eTHIS) at Gleneagles Medical Centre, Penang.
The venture is Kompakar’s first with the Gleneagles hospital chain, owned by Singapore’s Parkway Holdings Ltd. The deal comes on the back of some RM20mil in contracts from hospitals in Malaysia, according to company officials.
Looi Kien Leong, Kompakar deputy executive chairman, said these hospitals included the Pantai Group of Hospitals, the Putrajaya Hospital and Putrajaya Clinic.
"Kompakar currently has a growing presence in the implementation of hospital information systems in private hospitals nationwide," he said.
Ronald Koh, general manager of Gleneagles Medical Centre Penang, said the hospital selected Kompakar's eTHIS solution because of its solid track record and internationally recognised software development capabilities.
eTHIS is designed to enhance patient care process. Its messaging mechanism simplifies administrative process and provides secure patient data retrieval solution that will assist medical practitioners to attend to patients more effciently, said Looi.
Looi said Kompakar eHealth Tech has also implemented eTHIS at hospitals in Singapore, Thailand, China and Indonesia

1,200 suspected dengue cases reported last week in Malaysia

Star: More than 1,200 suspected cases of dengue fever were reported in Malaysia last week, the Health Ministry said Tuesday, with the death toll from the mosquito-borne disease reaching 76 so far this year.
Officials have escalated efforts to curb the disease by inspecting construction sites and residential areas where mosquitoes might thrive in stagnant water, said Ramlee Rahmat, the director of the health ministry's disease control division.
The number of suspected dengue cases nationwide climbed to 1,201 last week, compared to 1,023 in the previous week, Ramlee said.
However, he added that many suspected infections often turn out to be false alarms after tests are conducted.
Two more people died of dengue, bringing this year's number of deaths to 76, Ramlee said.
Between January and the first week of October, 29,820 suspected dengue cases were recorded, an increase of nearly 30 percent from the 23,163 cases in the same period last year, Ramlee said.
More than 8,200 of those cases have been confirmed to be dengue.
Ramlee urged construction companies to voluntarily check their premises for stagnant water.
"It has to be a community effort," Ramlee said.
Dengue, which is endemic to this region, causes joint pains, high fevers, nausea and a rash. In severe cases, it causes internal bleeding and leads to death.
Several Southeast Asian countries have reported higher-than-usual infections this year.

Monitor Suspected Breeding Grounds For Aedes, Says MMA

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- Members of the public should be proactive in reporting suspected breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes.
President of Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) Datuk Dr Teoh Siang Chin, said members of the public should be encouraged to help monitor areas around their residence or workplace.
"MMA feels strongly that the eradication of the dengue problem can be achieved if the public work closely with all the relevant government authorities," he said in a statement Tuesday.
He welcomed the move by the Ministry of Health to penalise hospitals and schools, which were found to be the breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes.
"This action is long overdue. It is common knowledge that dengue is as much an environmental sector issue as a health issue.
"There are many areas under local authorities especially abandoned construction sites and unkempt public areas, which are often overlooked," he stressed.
Recently, Seremban Hospital was popular for the wrong reason when Aedes mosquitoes were breeding in several old tyres at the hospital guardhouse.
Besides the Seremban Hospital, five other hospitals and five schools were fined this year for breeding mosquitoes.

More falling prey to chronic diseases

NST: The trend is frightening. More and more young people are falling prey to chronic diseases.Studies show that more than five million young Malaysians could become victims of diabetes, hypertension, heart ailments and stroke next year.
And if the young do not change their lifestyles, eating habits and quit smoking, by 2020 the figure will rise to 10 million.
The study indicates that some 2.3 million smokers, 420,200 obese people, 1.5 million overweight people, 8.4 million who are physically inactive, 410,650 who have impaired glucose tolerance and 2.1 million who consume alcohol are at risk of chronic diseases.
One study conducted between the year 2000 and 2003 by the Health Ministry, for instance, showed young men below 29 being hospitalised with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke.
The situation is bad enough without this trend: Every day, about 110 Malaysians suffer a stroke, the country’s third killer after cancer and heart attack. More than 40,000 new cases are reported annually.
The need to come to grips with this trend is the reason why the Health Ministry is targeting those above 18 years in its planned National Health and Morbidity Study 2006.
Public Health Specialist Association president Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar, said: "We need to know what diseases are afflicting youngsters."
Dr Zainal said many young men were also becoming victims to chronic diseases in their most productive years due to smoking, intake of food containing high levels of cholesterol, saturated fat and salt, and leading a sedentary lifestyle.
"Smokers have a higher risk of developing a number of chronic disorders," he said.
It is learnt that women who smoke and use oral contraceptives greatly increase their risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, compared with non-smoking women who use oral contraceptives.
Dr Zainal said Malaysians were blessed with a lot of rich food which was, unfortunately, high in cholesterol, fat and salt.
"Malaysians must learn to reduce the intake of food high in cholesterol, including nasi lemak and fast food," added Dr Zainal.
"Many of those suffering from heart disease and stroke are between the age of 30 and 49, the productive age, which is affecting individuals, families and the nation," said Dr Zainal, adding 25,756 people were hospitalised with IHD and 7,747 with stroke between 2000 and 2003 in government hospitals.

More dengue hotspots now

Star: PENANG: There’s good news and bad news concerning the dengue situation in the state.
First, the bad news. There are now 30 hotspots on the island – nine more than previously reported.
The good news is, the number of confirmed dengue cases dropped to 19 last week, from 90 the week before.
State Health Committee chairman P.K. Subbaiyah, however, cautioned that the number of cases could rise again when the rainy season starts.
“Don’t be too optimistic as the worst could yet come,” he said yesterday.
Subbaiyah said a 50-year-old housewife from Bukit Mertajam was the latest case. She was admitted on Sunday to the Penang Hospital intensive care unit. This brought to three the number of dengue patients in intensive care. All are reported to be in stable condition.
There are 117 dengue patients in the state at present; 48 at private hospitals.
“We are requesting Rela and Civil Defence members to assist in anti-dengue operations now that five health teams from Perak have returned home,” said Subbaiyah.
He also urged factories to clean up their premises to eradicate mosquito breeding grounds.
On the appeal for blood in view of the dengue situation, Subbaiyah said that with 1,119 pints at the Penang Hospital blood bank, there should be sufficient stock.