Malaysia tries to flush away its insanitary reputation

TimesOnline: Among the countries of South-East Asia, Malaysia has much to be proud of, from its immaculate tropical beaches and ancient rain forests to the skyscrapers of Kuala Lumpur, the capital. And yet a perpetual anxiety lurks at the back of the Malaysian mind: the execrable state of the nation’s toilets.
Now the Government is to introduce college courses in lavatory management as part of a continuing “toilet revolution” intended to protect locals and tourists from smelly and unclean conveniences. The country will also mount a toilet exhibition and institute a text message hotline on which sub-standard lavatories can be reported to the authorities.
The course will cover loo design, maintenance and hygiene and will enrol its first students within the next three years, Robert Lau, the deputy Housing and Local Government Minister, said yesterday.
Malaysians are intensely conscious of public toilets that would have Thomas Crapper, pioneer of the flush toilet, turning in his grave. This year the country is mounting an ambitious drive for overseas tourists, and the Government has set out to shame its citizens into improving their habits.
“Try to imagine dirty, disgusting toilets that make you nauseous — these will surely give us a negative image,” Najib Razak, the Deputy Prime Minister, said at a speech last year at the National Toilet Expo and Forum.
“Good, clean toilets are associated with good health, good manners, good upbringing, good housekeeping and civilisation. That is why the Government feels this must be a national effort.”
Apart from unpleasant smells and dirt, and the absence of toilet paper and soap, the problem stems from the transition from the traditional Asian squat toilet to Western-style seats. Tourists sometimes complain of finding footprints on the seats, where previous users have stood. The same problem occurs in other parts of Asia. Until a few years ago, Western-style toilets in Japan bore diagrams illustrating their correct use.

EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE: Ensure traditional treatment is risk free

NST: letter by PROF DR RAYMOND AZMAN ALI, Medical Faculty UKM

THERE has been an acute increase in the number of complaints against the medical profession, and faith in faith-healers and complementary medicine.
People are entitled to complain about doctors. In fact, they may write to the Malaysian Medical Council if they think doctors are being negligent or unethical.
The public should communicate with their doctors and not be afraid of them. They should seek explanations if they have any doubts about the medical treatment given by the doctors.
Unlike doctors, there is no council, body or law to regulate the activities of faith-healers. For every complaint against a doctor, there will be 10 against a bomoh or faith-healer, but these do not come to public knowledge because such "non-medical" mishaps are often put down to "fate" or an "act of God".
Doctors have first-hand knowledge of the mishaps of traditional practitioners because patients go to them for treatment when complications occur or to be "rescued" from further mishaps. However, mishaps by doctors, ironically, are unfairly put down to "human error".
While the authenticity of a medical doctor could be checked with the MMC, it is not the case with a self-proclaimed complementary medical practitioner.
Before the government comes up with a Traditional and Complementary Medicine Legislation, the public must be made aware of the risk in "consulting" such practitioners. It is a gamble.
Of course, no doctor is perfect or free from errors in a clinical practice. This is expected for we are, after all, only human.
However, the MMC and the National Accreditation Board (LAN) ensure that doctors produced by our local medical schools and those from abroad possess the standards stipulated in the Medical Act and University regulations.
Doctors need to renew their practising certificates annually. Medical schools are accredited periodically. Such accreditation exercises are currently non-existent for complementary medical practitioners.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with complementary medicine, provided it has been proven to be effective and safe for human consumption.
There is nothing more important than the protection of the safety and rights of human beings. This is the basic principle that governs the ethics of the medical profession, be it in clinical practice or medical research.
One must realise that although drugs like digoxin and ginkgo extracts are derived from plants and herbs, they have gone through many years of research and are carefully monitored and regulated.
The relevant authorities had ensured that these drugs went through animal tests and human trials in line with international standards before they got to the market.
If potentially beneficial plants and herbs are subjected to proper animal and clinical trials, they (dignoxin and gingko, for example) will become standard or "modern" medicine.
Acupuncture is an example of complementary medicine that has gone through quality clinical trials, and accepted as the standard therapy for certain conditions.
Currently, tissue engineering, stem cell transplantation and brain-computer interfaces for quadriplegics (to name a few examples), are undergoing intensive research to determine whether they could be introduced as standard therapies.
Only through properly conducted trials will we know the side-effects and contra-indications of any therapy.
Modern drugs are not free from side-effects but doctors, unlike faith-healers and herbalists, are aware of these side-effects and know how to treat them should the need arise.
When people take a herbal treatment without knowing its contents and side-effects, they are venturing into the "unknown".
It is mandatory that doctors explain the contra-indications and side-effects of any new drug prescribed to their patients. But have you seen people who sell herbs and traditional treatments on the five-foot pathways explaining the side-effects of their treatment? Of course, not.
It is also through properly conducted trials that we will know whether the positive effects of a treatment are attributable to the treatment itself, or occurred by chance.
The bottom line in clinical practice (hopefully in other practices too) is that the practice must be evidence-based. If it is not evidence-based, it should not be practised. And this important principle is not restricted to the treatment of illnesses alone.
The teaching and assessment methods we disseminate to our medical students and the investigations we impose upon our patients must also be evidence-based.
This letter is not a debate about what or who is better. It is also not to undermine the rights of complementary medical practitioners.
I hope it will educate the public on their rights and safety, and the possibility of removing the dichotomy between "modern" and "complementary" medicine. If all medicine is evidence-based, then there is only one medicine, that is "medicine" itself.

Primary healthcare always been government priority

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Primary healthcare has always been the priority of the Government, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
Primary healthcare is medical and healthcare provided outside hospitals.
“In our healthcare delivery system, primary healthcare has always been the centre pillar of the system,” he said at the opening of the First Asean Regional Primary Care Conference here last night.
Dr Chua said under the 9th Malaysia Plan, 540 clinics would be built while static and mobile clinics would be introduced in urban centres.
“The Cabinet has approved 96 mobile clinics to be established in stages over the next few years. The mobile clinics will cater to the needs of the urban poor and the marginalised groups,” he said.
He also said the healthcare services had improved tremendously since independence.
Post-independence saw major improvements in the healthcare system, with major infrastructure developments including the building of clinics in rural areas, he said.
“One of the major policies of the ministry is that primary healthcare shall be the foundation and engine of the country's healthcare system,” Dr Chua added.

USM to create five more healthcare-related schools

Star: KOTA BARU: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) will create five more healthcare-related schools under the 9th Malaysia Plan.
Its Kubang Kerian campus director, Prof Datuk Mafauzy Mohamed, said the five are the School of Nutrition, School of Ophthalmology, School of Physical Therapy, School of Occupational Therapy and the School of Environmental Health.
Currently, the campus has a School of Medicine, School of Medical Science and School of Dentistry.
Prof Mafauzy said with the additional schools, present facilities at the campus would be expanded.
“USM is heading for an era of exciting things. It would also benefit the state of Kelantan as a whole,” he said.
The campus has around 2,500 undergraduates and post-graduate students.
Under the 9MP, the student population would increase to 5,000.
Prof Mafauzy said the training hospital here, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), would be expanded from 700 to 1,000 beds under the plan period.
He said the expansion was part of HUSM’s commitment to constantly improve its services and specialist treatment.
“We expect more specialised treatment to be available as HUSM plays an important regional role for medical care,” he added.
HUSM caters for Kelantan, Terengganu, northern Pahang, Kedah and northern Perak.
He said the hospital also accommodates patients from southern Thailand who have special referral.

Give High Priority To Health And Safety, Says Abdullah

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wants employers and employees to give high priority to health and safety at the workplace.
"It should be your priority to aspire for health and safety at your workplace to be at the level of advanced countries," the Prime Minister said when presenting Occupational Health and Safety excellence awards here Tuesday night.
Abdullah said that as skilled and qualified workers were the product of investment in education and training, injuries and sickness of workers due to industrial accidents or deplorable conditions at the workplace would be a loss to the nation.
"Therefore, we must always look after our health and safety," he said, adding that a lot of people did not value their health until they lost it because of an accident or sickness.
"It's only when one loses a leg because of an accident that one realises its value," he said.
Excessive smoke emitted at factories could affect workers' health, he said, adding that fire safety equipment such as extinguishers also ought to be in serviceable condition.
To be highly competitive and able to meet the challenges of the global economy, he said Malaysia must have healthy workers who were highly skilled to propel their industries to greater heights.

More heart centres on the cards

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: People suffering from diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol are costing the government RM300 million a year.
This is the tab for the drugs given free at government hospitals.
What was more worrying, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, was that many of these people also suffered from coronary heart diseases.
One in three Malaysians, aged 30 and above, suffers from hypertension. Three million people have high cholesterol and another 2.1 million have diabetes.
Malaysia also has the most overweight and obese people in Asia at 25 per cent of the population.
Every day, about 110 Malaysians suffer a stroke, the country’s third killer after cancer and heart attack.
Dr Chua said heart medicine would be a critical sector for preserving the economic and social well-being of the country in years to come.
He said Malaysia and the rest of Asia would need more cardiac centres and physical infrastructure as well as skilled people to man them.
His ministry now had seven cardiac centres, among them were those in Kuala Lumpur Hospital, National Heart Institute, Penang, Johor and Kuching hospitals.
There are plans to set up heart institutes in Ipoh, Alor Star and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
"Our problem is not the allocation for the setting up of the institutes which cost some RM40 million each but shortage of cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and anaesthetists," he said after witnessing the signing of a Memoradum of Agreement between IJN and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) here yesterday.
Dr Chua said the country needed some 500 cardiologists and 100 cardiothoracic surgeons but only had 140 cardiologists and 30 cardiothoracic surgeons.
"There is an acute shortage. Many doctors do not want to pursue these specialties because it takes them 12 years to specialise," he added.
He hoped to see more doctors being motivated to specialise in these fields after the setting up of the IJN College of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Sciences before the end of the year.
Dr Chua said IJN’s agreement with LJMU as well as its ongoing partnership with other global institutions was a great example of win-win partnerships.
"This will undoubtedly be instrumental in helping Malaysia move further up the value-added chain in the healthcare industry," he added.
IJN chairman Datuk Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail said under the terms of MoA, LJMU and IJN would work in more than six core areas, including joint research programmes and projects.

Housewife first dengue death in Kelantan

NST: KOTA BARU: A 57-year-old housewife became the first person to die from dengue fever in Kelantan this year.
Wan Munah@Maimunah Wan Othman, a mother of four, died at the Raja Perempuan Zainal II Hospital on Sunday — a day after she was admitted.
Her husband Tuan Hassan Tuan Mat said he sent her to the hospital when her fever did not subside after several days.
"I had taken her to a clinic three times, but the fever persisted," said the retired policeman at his home in Taman Maktab, Pengkalan Chepa.
"On Saturday morning, when her condition worsened, I took her to the hospital."
Tuan Hassan said he did not know where Wan Munah was bitten by the Aedes mosquitoes, but suspected they might have come from a clogged drain nearby.
Officials from the state Health Department were at his house yesterday to take blood samples from him and his 26-year-old daughter.
They also fogged the area.
Kelantan Health Department director Dr Kamil Hassan said the people in Pengkalan Chepa, which has been blacklisted as a dengue-prone area, were lackadaisal about hygiene and health.
This had resulted in pools of residual flood water in drains, old tyres, vases and garbage being left to form breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquitoes.
He said the department recorded 176 cases of dengue fever this year.
They included 106 cases in the Kota Baru district, Tanah Merah, 23, Tumpat, 11, and Machang, six.
The number of dengue fever cases recorded at this time last year was lower at 128.
In George Town, it was announced that 200 medical officers would be deployed to help in the fight against the dengue menace in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
The Health Ministry’s parliamentary-secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon said the deployment would begin immediately in view of the large number of cases.
He said half of the 1,055 cases reported in the last 36 days came from the two areas.
"Of the total, 16 dengue-related deaths were reported."
Lee was speaking after launching the Penang School Bus Operators’ Association anti-dengue campaign at the Batu Lachang market. More than 100 members took part in the two-hour campaign.

Sixteen died this year due to dengue

Star: PENANG: The Health Ministry has called on the public to report on their neighbours who harbour mosquitoes as 16 people have died due to dengue this year.
Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon said public tip offs on potential mosquito breeding grounds were crucial to help minimise risk of dengue outbreak in neighbourhoods, adding that 13 of dengue-related deaths were recorded in Selangor.
Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan and Johor had each recorded one dengue-related death, he added.
"Our intention is not to punish errant neighbours. We need to create awareness on the importance of cleanliness to help control the deadly outbreak," he said.
Lee said this after presenting aerosol cans and abate to members of the Penang Schoolbus Association at Batu Lanchang Market here yesterday.
Lee said a total of 6,458 suspected dengue cases were recorded nationwide during the first five weeks of the year, adding that about 50% of the cases were in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
"We have deployed 100 additional (health department) staff from neighbouring states to help contain the outbreak in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
"We carry out fogging within 24 hours after dengue cases are traced in an area. We also distribute abates in affected areas to kill the mosquitoes larvae," he said.
He added the aedes mosquitoes breed in clear stagnant waters, including waters in flower pots and exposed containers.
Vacant land, children's playgrounds, houses and shops topped the list of mosquito breeding grounds, he said.
Lee said all sectors must work together to help contain the outbreak to help clear the country's image, especially as this year is Visit Malaysia 2007.
"We do not want the foreigners to have a lasting negative image about our country, as this will affect the tourism industry," he said.
Lee also called on school bus drivers to spray the school buses with mosquito repellents before fetching children during dawn and dusk.
"Peak feeding time for mosquitoes are during dawn and dusk. We need to protect the schoolchildren from mosquito bites as they board school buses either during dawn (for those going to morning school) or dusk (for those returning from afternoon school)," he said.

No bird flu threat in Malaysia: Health Ministry

Star: PUTRAJAYA: There is no cause for alarm over any threat of bird flu in Malaysia, despite reports of the virus spreading in other countries, the Health Ministry assured Monday.
Health director general Tan Sri Ismail Merican said Malaysia had always been in a state of preparedness to face any threat posed by avian influenza.
"Everything is in place. We have carried out simulation exercise in all states to see our strength and weaknesses. There is nothing better than to go to the ground.
"So far government agencies are fully aware of what they are supposed to do should there be an outbreak,” he told a press conference here Monday, in light of reports that countries like Britain and Japan had found the H5N1 strain of bird flu in domestic poultry.
Other pro-active measures taken by the ministry included identifying 21 hospitals with isolation facilities, stockpiling some five million anti-viral drugs and clinical surveillance of those with "influenza like illness (ILI)."
"Surveillance on influenza virus being done at designated laboratories shows that there has been no H5N1 amongst humans in Malaysia.
"Although avian flu was detected in poultry in Malaysia in 2004 and 2006, there have been not been any cases of avian flu among humans," Dr Ismail added.
Dr Ismail said the Government did not restrict travellers from countries that had cases of bird flu from entering the country or stop Malaysians from travelling to the affected countries.
"However, the ministry would like to advise them against visiting farms confirmed to have H5N1 or wet markets in countries that have reported H5N1," he added.

No Travel Restriction To Bird-flu Hit Countries, Says Health D-G

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry does not restrict or bar any travellers from countries that have avian influenza or bird flu among poultry or humans from visiting Malaysia.
Director-General of Health Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said that the ministry also does not stop Malaysians from visiting the affected countries.
"Nevertheless, we would like to advise the people not to visit farms confirmed to have H5N1 avian influenza nor visit wet markets in countries that have reported H5N1," he said at a news conference here Monday.
Dr Ismail said anyone who had symptoms like fever, cough and sore throat, had come in contact with poultry or had just returned from countries that had reported cases of H5N1 were advised to seek early treatment.
"They should inform the doctor of their travel history and contact with poultry," he said.
From 2003 until Feb 3, 2007, a total of 271 cases among humans have been confirmed as avian influenza H5N1 and reported to the World Health Organisation. Of the 271, 165 have died.
Dr Ismail said that in the first month of 2007, eight cases of H5N1 in humans had been reported -- six in Indonesia and one each in Egypt and Nigeria.
Although bird flu was detected among poultry in Malaysia in 2004 and 2006, there had not been any cases involving humans in the country, he said.
He added that since June 2006 when Malaysia was declared free from H5N1 (detected in poultry), there had not been any new cases detected.
Dr Ismail said that based on the surveillance of influenza-like illness, (ILI), the rate of ILI consultation at sentinel clinics for the first and second week of 2007 was about 0.1 per cent which was less than the threshold set.
"The surveillance on influenza virus being done at designated laboratories shows that there has been no avian influenza virus A H5N1 among humans in Malaysia," he explained.

Health Ministry Adopts Kuala Lumpur And Selangor To Curb Dengue

PENANG, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- The serious dengue situation in Selangor and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur has prompted the Health Ministry to adopt the two states.
The ministry's parliamentary secretary, Datuk Lee Kah Choon, said under the adoption programme, various activities, including fogging, had been and would continue to be carried out to contain the spread of the disease in the two states.
He said Selangor and Kuala Lumpur had recorded more than 500 dengue cases.
"There has been a drop in dengue cases in both the states but it is still at a worrying stage," he told reporters after handing over fogging aid to about 200 members of the Penang School Bus Drivers Association, here Monday.
Lee said the ministry had also mobilised about 100 health officials from Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan to assist in dengue prevention programmes carried out in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur since Jan 5.
"We have instructed the health teams to destroy places where Aedes mosquitoes bred, especially in high risk areas like parks and open fields," he added.
He said the district health offices were also instructed to monitor the dengue situation in their respective areas as well as conduct checks to ensure they were free of breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
According to Lee, 16 people in Negeri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Johor died from dengue this year.

700,000 unaware they have diabetes

Star: IPOH: Some 700,000 diabetics are “silent sufferers” without knowing that there is medical help available for them.
Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon said free health checks should be organised so that they could be identified.
He said over two million Malaysians suffer from diabetes.
“One-third of them are unaware that they are suffering from the condition,” he said after opening a health camp in Pantai Remis.
The health camp was jointly organised by the ministry and the Chin Tai Kok Moral Uplifting Society.

On the Alor Star Hospital, which had its opening postponed for the sixth time this year, Lee said the ministry was at the final stage of carrying out safety tests on the hospital.
“Once we are confident that the hospital is safe, we will take vacant possession of it from the Public Works Department,” he said.
According to press reports, the contractor for the RM565mil hospital in Langgar had asked for a further extension to test the new medical equipment.
The hospital was to be operational by Dec 15, 2003.

IRB Decision Causing Patients To Lose Out, MMA Says

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 (Bernama) -- Many patients in the country will lose out following an Inland Revenue Board (IRB) decision in December not to give tax exemptions on professional indemnity insurance paid by private doctors.
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Datuk Dr Teoh Siang Chin told reporters this.
He said the decision meant that patients, especially those with poor background, would be denied access to compensation should a malpractice occur.
"The IRB has refused to allow private doctors to claim payments for indemnity insurance as a legitimate expense probably because they are not compulsory," he said.
Professional indemnity insurance is compulsory for high-end hospitals but not for low-end hospitals or clinics.
Speaking after chairing the MMA council meeting here, Dr Teoh said insurance premiums should be considered as a legitimate expense because they were meant to protect patients.
If premiums paid were not exempted from taxes, many doctors would shy away from getting the insurance, hence giving less choices for patients from poor background who had to seek treatment at low-end hospitals, he said.
He said indemnity insurance was also not compulsory for private doctors in other countries but their governments gave tax exemptions to those who got themselves covered.
Adding salt to the wound, he said, the Medical Protection Society which runs the indemnity insurance scheme, recently raised its premium by at least 16 per cent.
"According to the latest information from London, the rate has been increased for Malaysia. For some disciplines, it has been raised by as much as 18 per cent.
"For high risk occupations such as obstetric care, it has gone up to between RM32,000 and RM36,000 per annum. This is high for doctors and patients in Malaysia," he said.
Dr Teoh said the cost of acquiring an indemnity insurance had gone up by 20 to 35 per cent for most doctors following the IRB decision and premium hike.
With doctors shying away from getting themselves covered, the MMA was concerned that it would hamper efforts to make Malaysia as a health tourism destination.
This was because people would not seek treatment here if they were not protected, Dr Teoh said.
"What MMA is keen to do now is to intervene and lobby the government so that such premiums are considered as a legitimate expense to merit a tax exemption by the IRB," said Dr Teoh.

No kidding, Sarawak plays safe on HFMD

Star: MIRI: In an effort to prevent a repeat of last year’s deadly outbreak of the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Sarawak, the state government is taking early extreme precautionary measures.
Any kindergarten suspected of having minor infections would be closed for at least two weeks even though it might not be serious, said Deputy Chief Minister and State Disaster Relief Committee chairman Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam.
This early measure was necessary to ensure that the disease would not escalate into another deadly attack as was the case last year when 13 children died, he said yesterday.
“We (state authorities) want to be on the safe side. We want to see whether by closing at a very early stage any kindergartens or schools suspected of having even minor infections will ensure that there will be no major outbreak.
“We want to try to prevent any cycle of mass infection. From past experience dealing with HFMD in Sarawak, it was found that the number of HFMD cases during the end of the year and the beginning of the year would surge upwards.
“If we close centres suspected of having any minor infections at this very early stage, we may be able to prevent an outbreak,” he said in an interview.
Dr Chan, however, noted that there was no outbreak of the disease as yet in the state, adding that presently the state government had ordered three kindergartens to close for 14 days.
“There is nothing major to worry about. The number of cases in these three premises is not alarming,” he said, hoping that the notice to close the three did not cause any panic.
Dr Chan said last year’s severity of cases and fatalities had shown that once the infections spread it would be very difficult to contain.
He said that for the whole of last month there were about 140 cases of the disease statewide, none of them serious.

Country ready for bird flu

Star: PENANG: Malaysia is fully prepared in terms of personnel, drugs and equipment in the event of an avian flu outbreak, according to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
The ministry had stepped up preparations to handle the situation in view of the re-emergence of the H5N1 strain in Thailand and Indonesia, conducting simulation exercises to identify weaknesses and improve coordination among government agencies.
“The Agriculture Ministry has to inform us of poultry deaths in more numbers than usual,” he said, adding that all general practitioners and government clinics should also notify his ministry if there was a sudden rise in flu cases.
Dr Chua said last year, the ministry ordered enough of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu for 5% of the population, with a similar amount ordered for this year.
Vaccinations would also be given to those handling poultry, including health and veterinary officers, and police and fire and rescue services personnel, Dr Chua told reporters after visiting the Bayan Baru health clinic yesterday.
On Wednesday, Indonesian authorities said they might declare a national bird flu disaster alert following a fresh flare-up in the country, which has the world’s highest human death toll from the virus with 63 deaths.
On the new loyalty pledge document for pig farmers and butchers, Dr Chua said the requirement was reasonable, adding that there was already an existing condition that all exporters of seafood and meat products to Malaysia had to prove that their meat was free of Chloramphenicol, Nitrofuran and beta-agonist.
Earlier, in Tangkak, Dr Chua said the recent deaths of two girls in Tanah Merah, Kelantan, were not caused by the Japanese Encephalitis (JE) virus but due to dengue and bacteria meningitis.
He said test results released yesterday showed that their deaths had nothing to do with the virus, as announced by the Kelantan Health Department.
Dr Chua urged residents in the area not to panic.
“I am puzzled as to how the Kelantan Health Department director could issue a statement that the state could have a JE outbreak," he added.

6.5 million suffer from sinus woes

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Just can’t get rid of that stuffed nose, pain and difficulty in breathing? Chances are that you are one of 6.5 million Malaysians suffering from chronic rhinosinusitis.
Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia senior consultant ENT surgeon and lecturer Prof Datuk Dr Balwant Singh Gendeh, said rhinosinusitis affected more people than diabetes and congestive heart failure.
He said this in his keynote address themed "Rhinology: Today’s innovations, tomorrow’s solutions" at the 26th International Symposium on Infection and Allergy of the Nose at the Shangri-la Hotel.
Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis also suffer from a poor quality of life, with the disease associated with conditions like asthma and eczema.
Dr Balwant, the chairman of the four-day symposium attended by some 500 participants, said there was a need for more research on all forms of treatment for rhinosinusitis.
On rhinitis, he said it was a reaction in the eyes, nose and throat when airborne irritants triggered the release of histamine.
As for allergic rhinitis, he attributed it to high humidity and poor home ventilation, which led to the breeding of dust mites.

Ministry accepts traditional medicine degrees from China

Star: THE Government has indirectly recognised the academic qualifications from three universities in China in areas of traditional medicine, reported Nanyang Siang Pau.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said Malaysia did not have the mechanism to assess certificates in the field of traditional medicine.
“However, the Chinese have 5,000 years of history and there is no reason for us to not recognise their achievement in traditional medicine,” he said.
He said doctors under the Health Ministry were allowed to undergo a short-term training programme, a five-year course in traditional medicine or a three-year specialised course at Beijing Guang An Men Hospital, Shanghai University and Nanjing University respectively.
The courses include acupuncture and traditional herbs and are conducted in English.

Statewide fogging to fight dengue

Star: SEREMBAN: Large-scale fogging is under way in Negri Sembilan to get rid of aedes mosquitoes and prevent a dengue fever outbreak.
To date, 70 cases had been confirmed as dengue fever from the 133 suspected cases last month, said state Health, Science, Technology and Innovation chairman Datuk Yu Chok Tow.
The third week of last month recorded the highest number of cases at 38, while in the fourth week the number of cases dropped to 31, she added.
There were more cases in Jempol in the fourth week – from three in the third week to 22.
Yu said that the state Health Department officers had fogged over 107,000 premises since January and the exercise would be ongoing.
“We have checked 12,014 premises and fogged 107,310 of them,” she said, adding that the health officers would be constantly inspecting both private and commercial premises to check for aedes larvae.
Aedes larvae were found in 335 premises and 117 fines totalling RM17,620 had been issued.
She said that no court action had been taken against anyone so far.

Blocked toilet shuts down baby unit at hospital

Star: SUNGAI PETANI: Overflowing human faeces from a toilet has forced the temporary closure of the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit at the state-of-the-art RM450mil Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital in Bandar Amanjaya here since Monday.
The unit has been relocated to the paediatric ward on the sixth floor of the hospital, which opened its doors on Jan 5.
Hospital director Dr Harif Fadzillah Che Hashim confirmed the closure.
He said the overflow was caused by a blockage in a toilet at the unit.
He added that maintenance and fumigation works would be completed by next week.
“As the toilet was overflowing, we feared contamination as staff stepped on the toilet floor and walked in and out of the unit in their slippers.
“We have commissioned the repair works and hope to reopen the unit by next week,” he added.
The situation caused a furore among some parents who were worried about the effect on their newborn babies.
It is learnt that a similar leakage had also occurred at the hospital’s cafeteria due to a defective sewerage pipe.
In December last year, Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek gave a directive that only certified and specialised contractors be awarded government hospital projects.
He was commenting on the delay in completing several government hospitals due, in part, to the lack of expertise by the building contractors.
The Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital was handed over by the Public Works Department to the Health Ministry on July 20 last year.

Three kindies closed to prevent HFMD outbreak

Star: KUCHING: Sarawak has closed three kindergartens for two weeks as a precaution against the spread of hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD).
“HFMD is endemic in Sarawak, so this is nothing new. The number of cases recorded so far this year is fewer than in the corresponding period last year and has not reached the warning level of 53 cases in a week,” said Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan.
“There is no serious case and no hospital admission. So there is nothing to worry about,” he said yesterday.
In the first four weeks of the year, 132 cases were reported throughout the state, with Kuching district having the highest number at 40, followed by Sarikei and Sibu (23 each), Bau (14) and Miri (12).
The three kindergartens closed are Sedidik Sri Jaya in Sri Aman and Methodist Sze Hua and Tadika St Clement, both in Sarikei, after three to four cases were detected on their premises by health teams.
Sedidik Sri Jaya was closed on Tuesday and the other two yesterday.
Dr Chan said Sarawak carried out continuous surveillance of HFMD and monitored weekly reports from all districts.
In addition, the state Health Department issued an alert on Jan 24 to all districts and hospitals to step up prevention and control measures after the Institute of Health and Community Medicine of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) said the EV71 virus had been detected in Kuching, Sarikei, Miri and Limbang.
EV71 was responsible for the HFMD outbreak in the state last year during which a total of 14,875 cases and 13 deaths were reported.
Dr Chan advised childcare institutions to screen children for HFMD while parents were asked to refrain from taking ill children to school or public places.
“I hope that with the concerted efforts of the Health Department and Unimas, with the cooperation of childcare institutions and parents, we can avert another HFMD outbreak in Sarawak,” he added.