Increase in dengue cases

Star: PETALING JAYA: The dengue situation in the country is at an alarming level with 11 deaths recorded in the first three weeks of the month.
As of Saturday, 3,002 dengue cases were reported all over the country.
According to the Health Ministry’s Disease Control Division (national dengue operations room), Selangor recorded the highest number with 1,370 cases between Jan 1 and 23.
This was followed by Sarawak (645 cases), Kuala Lumpur/Putrajaya (246), Johor (166) and Sabah (106).
Seven out of the deaths were from Selangor.
As of yesterday, there were 31 hotspots throughout the country, of which 20 were in Selangor.
The ministry has issued a dengue alert to all states on Nov 26, last year.
Its deputy director-general Datuk Dr Hassan Abdul Rahman urged the people to ensure their homes, schools and workplaces were free of mosquito breeding grounds.
He said fogging was a temporary measure.
“As long as mosquito breeding grounds still exist, new adult mosquitoes will emerge and the infection will continue,” he said in an interview.
Of the 77,818 premises inspected the previous week, Dr Hassan said 1,549 (2%) were found to breed Aedes mosquitoes — an increase of 33% compared to the previous week.
Dr Xavier Jeyakumar, who is Selangor health, estate workers affairs, poverty eradication and caring government committee chairman, said dirty neighbourhoods contributed to the high number of dengue cases.
“High incidences of dengue in Selangor is nothing new. This is because of the large population living in places that are not clean,” he said.
“There is a dengue outbreak in the state every year,” he added.
In GEORGE TOWN, three residents in Jalan Pintasan Bahagia, Bayan Baru, contracted dengue fever while seven others in the same area have been suspected to have come down with the disease.
“The south-west health authorities had started fogging the affected area twice a day since the first case was confirmed last week,” Pantai Jerejak assemblyman Sim Tze Tzin said during a gotong-royong in Kampung Jawa yesterday.
Under the law, those found to be breeding Aedes mosquitoes will be slapped with a RM500 compound per breeding site, besides a possible fine or even a jail term under the Destruction of Disease Bearing Insects Act.

Utar set to produce doctors

Star: PETALING JAYA: There is now a new and affordable avenue for Malaysians to study medicine locally.
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rah-man’s (Utar) new Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences will start its first intake in May for a course which will cost about RM50,000 a year, a fraction of what parents would have to pay for medical courses in other local private universities.
The Higher Education Ministry has approved the faculty’s Bache-lor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme. The faculty will accept an initial batch of 50 students this year.
Housed at the varsity’s Sg Long campus in Selangor, the MBBS programme will cost about RM250,000 for the entire five-year course. The amount is far smaller than similar programmes in traditional countries.
A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was also signed with the Health Ministry yesterday, formalising the placement of Utar medical and health sciences students at government hospitals.
With the MoA, Utar students will undergo their practicum, industrial training or clinical studies at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Ampang Hospital, Sultan Ismail Hospital in Johor Baru and Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh.
Commending Utar for its initiative, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said that his ministry was excited to accept Utar into its pool of collaborating universities.
There are currently 25 universities’ training doctors in Malaysia.
Ten of them are public universities while private universities and university colleges make up the rest. “This is a historical event for Utar,” said Liow in a press conference after the signing ceremony.
“Based on Utar’s track record in producing quality graduates and commitment in promoting lifelong learning, I have no doubt that the university will attain the same level of excellence in their new venture.”
Established on Nov 16, last year, Utar’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences also plans to offer three more degree programmes in Nursing, Physiotherapy and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The application process for Utar’s MBBS course is open until the end of March and selected applicants will be interviewed in early April.
Utar president and chief executive officer Prof Datuk Dr Chuah Hean Teik told The Star that the interview process would test applicants’ maturity, passion, commitment and attitude.

More bite from March for national dental health care

Star: PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry will launch a nationwide dental health awareness campaign in March.
Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said a survey by the ministry found that 60% of 12-year-olds had dental caries (tooth decay or cavities), with the number rising to 75% among those aged 16 and 90% in adults.
He said this was despite the fact that Malaysia boasted comprehensive dental care services, including preventive efforts like free screening and educational programmes in pre-schools and schools.
He said the ministry had similar preventive programmes for the elderly and special children.
“The high number of people with dental problems is a cause for concern.
“Checks among children as young as six have found that 70% of them have dental caries.
“At that age, it is not too worrisome because their permanent teeth have not grown yet, but the lack of care continues as they grow older and we want to change this,” he said, adding that the campaign would be carried out in collaboration with the Malay-sian Dental Association (MDA).
Liow was speaking at a press conference after receiving a courtesy call from the Chinese Stomatological Association (CSA) delegation here yesterday.
He also said Malaysia was looking to increase the number of dentists it produced annually, from the current 250 to 800 over the next few years.
The aim, he said, was to change the current dentist-to-population ratio by 2018 from the current 1:7,840 to the World Health Organisation standard of 1:4,000.
On the CSA visit, he said it was to enhance collaboration between Malaysia and China in dental care.
CSA president Prof Dr Wang Xing led the delegation, which is in Malaysia to attend the International Dental Federation (FDI)-MDA Scientific Convention and Trade Exhibition starting tomorrow.

1Malaysia clinics to go ahead without docs

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The 1Malaysia clinics will operate without doctors, and patients with serious illnesses would be referred to polyclinics and government hospitals.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said although he understood the concerns of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), the country was facing a shortage of doctors.
“It is our intention to have doctors at all clinics. But we do not even have enough doctors in hospitals. This does not mean the people should be deprived of medical services. Medical assistants and nurses can help out here,” he said.
MMA president Dr David Quek had expressed concern over the 1Malaysia clinics.
He said they should be manned by registered medical doctors, as clinics run by medical assistants and nurses could lead to a poorer standard of healthcare.
Liow said he met with MMA representatives on Jan 8 to address their concerns.
“The MMA and the Government have the same objective, which is to improve the standard of health services,” he added.
“We are short of doctors, even in hospitals and the big clinics. So doctors, and also locums, will be posted there. 1Malaysia clinics are only for illnesses such as coughs and colds.
“Patients with more serious illnesses should go to hospitals and polyclinics.
“We will stick with the first 50 and evaluate their performance. Forty-four have begun operating, and the remaining six will be opened by the end of the month,” he said, adding that the delay was due to renovation work.
Liow was speaking to reporters after handing out RM2mil each to the Tung Shin Hospital and the Chinese Maternity Hospital yesterday.

SMS to cut hospital wait

Star: JOHOR BARU: The Health Ministry is introducing an SMS-based system to notify patients of their appointments to reduce queues at hospitals.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the pilot project had been implemented at the Mamodiah Outpatient Clinic here.
The queue management and appointment reminder would also send out an SMS when there are five patients before their turn.
“We are still fine tuning the system and once the kinks are ironed out, we will start implementing it at medical facilities with high patient rates,” he said, adding that the project was carried out in collaboration with Celcom.
“This system will also allow for updated statistics for hospital services in the country. Through the system, we will be able to monitor the number of patients, the illnesses they are being treated for, and even the duration at the various departments within the hospital and clinics.”
Liow said at present only 70% of local hospitals had achieved the 30-minute waiting limit set by the ministry last year.
“Although there has been progress, we hope that technology can help us further reduce patients’ waiting time,” he said after a briefing on the system here yesterday.
At another event, during the groundbreaking for a new block of the Southern College in Skudai, Liow said the ministry would propose a new Act to govern traditional and complementary medication (T&CM) at the next parliamentary seating.
“The Act would help to ensure the safety and quality of T&CM and help the industry to grow locally,” he said.

11,000 waiting for kidney transplants

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 11,000 patients are still waiting for kidney transplants while 29 others need livers, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
He said another eight patients needed heart transplant surgery while 12 others had to undergo lung transplants and heart and lung transplants for two other patients.
“Up until Friday (Dec 11), we obtained 36 cadavers, 32 kidneys, four livers, 23 pairs of corneas, 19 heart valves tissues, seven bones and three skin.
“However, the number of patients waiting for organ transplants are far more than what we have obtained,” he told reporters at a press conference after the launch of the 3rd Global Bio-Herbs Economic Forum here Saturday.
Last year, he said, 56 kidney and five liver transplant surgeries had been carried out but there was no transplant of heart and lung.
He said by the end of last year, the cumulative organ transplant operations were kidney (1,264), liver (86), heart (19), lung (three) and heart and lung (one).
“The number of pledges for organ donation for this year is 13,546 while the accumulated pledges since 1997 is 135,847.
“We need more people to come forward to make the pledge so that we can save more lives,” he said, adding that 45% of them were male.
Liow said his ministry would send a thank you note to the parents of a 17-year-old boy from Kampar who consented to donate their son’s organs, including the heart, after the teenager was declared brain-dead after a road accident.
“We are sad over his demise but we also want to express our gratitude to his parents for making the decision to donate his organs,” he said.

Asia’s first valve implant without surgery

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The National Heart Institute (IJN) achieved another milestone by performing the first heart valve implant in Asia without the need for open heart surgery.
The procedure has a 99% success rate.
Known as trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (Tavi), the procedure allows for problematic valves in the aorta to be replaced with an artificial one by using a catheter, a tube that is 6mm in diameter.
The tube is inserted either in the thigh or below the left collar bone and then slid through arteries to the heart.
“Patients, who have gone through Tavi, will be able to move around on the third day after the implantation but they will be required to lie down during the first 24 hours,” said IJN medical director Datuk Seri Dr Robaayah Zambahari during a press conference yesterday.
The procedure, which uses a device called CoreValve, causes less trauma to body tissues and enables a faster recovery compared to the conventional open heart surgery as only incisions are made at certain areas to insert the tube.
Dr Robaayah was part of the team of IJN consultants which performed the procedure on two patients on Nov 25; a 73-year-old man and a 77-year-old man, both of whom had severe narrowing of heart valves.
The third patient is National Laureate Datuk Shahnon Ahmad, 76, who was treated the next day.
Other team members were cardiologists Datuk Dr Rosli Mohd Ali, Dr Shaiful Azmi and cardiothoracic surgeons Datuk Dr Mohd Azhari Yakub, Dr Jeswant Dillon and anaesthesiologists Datuk Dr Mohamed Hassan Ariff and Dr Sharifah Suraya.
The procedure was assisted by Dr Ganesh Manoharan, a consultant interventional cardiologist from Ireland, who will oversee the operations of the next 12 to 15 patients currently on the waiting list.
The CoreValve device costs RM112,000 while another RM10,000 is needed for other operation costs.
Dr Robaayah hoped that the Health Ministry would support and subsidise the procedures for the public in future. The current ones were borne by the institute.
Dr Robaayah said there had yet to be any case of a patient rejecting the artificial valve, which is made out of a type of metal called Nitinol.
The procedure takes between 45 minutes and one-and-a-half hours.
“We took about two-and-a-half hours for the first patient because we were still learning about the procedure and wanted to be careful,” she said, adding that the method was only performed on high-risk patients such as the elderly.
Dr Ganesh said local anaesthesia was applied to the patients and they remained conscious during the procedure.
“It is not surprising to see patients smiling as we conduct the procedure on them,” he said.
Dr Ganesh said about 50 centres worldwide were using the technology, adding that it was suitable for Asians as their blood vessels were generally smaller.

90% don’t use condoms

Star: GEORGE TOWN: Some 90% of drug users do not use condoms and this is a source of worry because it can contribute to the rise of HIV/AIDS cases, said social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir.
Marina, an Asia Pacific Leadership Forum on HIV/AIDS steering committee member, said drug users continued to neglect the use of condoms despite the contraceptives being distributed for free by some non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
“Condoms are 98% safe and it can present an affordable way to combat the spread of the disease,” she told reporters yesterday after the opening of the World HIV/AIDS Day national conference.
The two-day conference was launched by Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
Marina said 24-hour convenience stores should be allowed to sell condoms off-the-shelf although some state governments were against it.
Malaysian AIDS Council vice-president Datuk Zaman Khan said the distribution of free condoms did not mean that NGOs were encouraging free sex.
In his speech, Liow said the country was on track towards achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of halting and reversing the spread of HIV by 2015.
He said the disease remained a potent threat because of the increasing infection through sex and more women were becoming infected.
Liow said the notification rate of HIV/AIDS in the country had continued to fall each year after it peaked at 6,978 cases or 28.5% per 100,000 population in 2002.
Last year, it was 13.3% per 100,000 population and this year indication shows that it may drop to 11% per 100,000.
“I am optimistic that the country can arrest the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015 based on current trends,” he said.

Brace for rise in H1N1 cases

Star: GEORGE TOWN: The recent increase of Influenza A(H1N1) cases in the northern hemisphere serves as a reminder for countries to be alert for a possible second wave of the flu.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said 95% of countries in the northern hemisphere had recorded a rise in new cases.
The ministry, he said, had stepped up efforts to ensure the second wave was kept at bay in Malaysia. He added that the country must remain vigilant as the outbreak was still at Level Six, the highest of the World Health Organisation’s pandemic alert scale.
‘‘We cannot take this lightly although the H1N1 outbreak has stabilised in the country.
“We must ensure, where possible, that a second wave does not hit us,” he told reporters yesterday after launching the World HIV/AIDS Day national conference.
As of yesterday, the death toll still stood at 77 out of 12,210 confirmed cases while four patients remained in critical condition. For the week ended on Nov 28, a total of 589 cases were reported for flu-like illnesses, of which 573 have been discharged, said Liow.
To prepare for the second wave, he said the ministry had vaccinated 6,617 frontliners.
He said the ministry had also upgraded its surveillance system by improving early detection in all states including having the main command centre operating around-the-clock, and stock-piling anti-viral drugs at its pharmacies.
He advised people, especially those travelling during the school holidays, to take extra precautions. Meanwhile, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said 10 patients tested positive for the A(H1N1) flu last week.

WHO: More women getting HIV from their husbands

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: About 30% of all new HIV cases in Malaysia are women, a 400% increase compared with five years ago.
“It is an alarming figure. This finding has changed the previous perception that homosexuals and drug users are more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.
“It has brought a new set of issues that we need to deal with and it is becoming more complex now,” said the United Nations Resident Coor­dinator Kamal Malhotra at the launch of The Red Carnival in conjunction with World AIDS Day at Sungei Wang Plaza yesterday.
Organised by PT Foundation for the 11th year, the two-day event has brought people from all walks of life especially youths in efforts to boost awareness on HIV/AIDS.
The findings, revealed by a World Health Organisation study on women’s health around the world last month, necessitated a new approach in dealing with HIV/AIDS.
“It should be dealt with as more than a health issue, but with the religious and legal aspects as well,” he said.
As of today, there are 33.4 million people around the world who are infected and living with HIV.
There were nearly three million new cases last year.
In Malaysia, 85,000 people have been infected with the disease, with about 15 new cases daily.
Up to June, a total of 1,497 people were infected.
A total of 315 Malaysians have died from AIDS.
PT Foundation chairman Hisham Hussein said many women and children had been infected with HIV/AIDS in the last few years.
He said most of these women did not see themselves as the vulnerable group that could get infected.
“They believe that they would not get infected because they are not drug users nor do they have multiple sexual partners.
“Yet they get it from their husband,” he said.
Hisham had urged the public to change their attitude about HIV/AIDS and to reduce stigma and discrimination against those who are infected with the ailment.

Health Ministry issues nationwide dengue alert

Star: PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry has announced a nationwide dengue alert following an increase of 99 reported dengue cases within a week with two deaths in Malacca and one in Penang.
Deputy health director-general Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman said that 819 cases were reported last week (Nov 15 to 21) compared with 720 the week before (Nov 8 to 14).
“We have issued a dengue alert to state health directors and doctors to keep a look out for the cases,” he said.
The total number of reported cases for this year until last week was 36,514 with 78 deaths compared with 41,034 and 90 deaths last year.
Dr Hasan said if the public did not take the necessary action to remove aedes breeding sites, the number of cases could double next month.
Explaning that the drastic increase in dengue cases was due to the rainy season, he said: “Despite our awareness programme, the response from the public has not been encouraging.”
Speaking at a dialogue session on 1Malaysia Fight Against Dengue yesterday, Dr Hasan said the ministry had carried out surveys and found that people were aware of where and how aedes breeds in the house and outside but most of them neglected to check on those areas.
“They tend to think that it’s the Government’s responsibility, but we need cooperation from the people,” he said.
In the last three months, Sarawak recorded the highest number of increase with 331 cases last week, making it a total of 2,847 cases this year.
In total, Selangor recorded the highest number of cases in the country at 16,984.
Dr Hasan said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had also placed the country on avian influenza alert following some reported cases in neighbouring countries.
There were no cases recorded in Malaysia and the Veterinary Services Department was monitoring the situation throughout the country while the ministry exchanged information with other countries in Asean as well as with the WHO.
Universiti Malaya medical microbiology department professor Dr S. Shamala Devi, who also spoke at the dialogue, said that people might get both Influenza A(H1N1) and avian influenza at the same time if their immune system was weakened.

In Kota Kinabalu, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin said there were 199 cholera cases as of yesterday in the two affected states – Terengganu (185) and Kelantan (14).
She said health officials were now using different antibiotics to treat patients following the detection of a new strain of cholera in Thailand.
“The two states are close to Thailand. We believe that it is due to water contamination,” she said, adding that the 17 cholera cases detected in Sabah earlier this month was due to the “usual” strain found in the country.
Rosnah said that the cholera patients in Terengganu and Kelantan were not from relief centres but other areas.
“Our officers are closely monitoring the health situation at the flood relief centres,” she said.
The first case of cholera was detected in Terengganu earlier this month.
One person has died from it.

Ensuring cheaper private healthcare

Star: PUTRAJAYA: The public can soon seek medical treatment at private clinics and not worry too much about high costs.
This is because the Government is considering paying a portion of the bill for treatment at private clinics under a proposed healthcare reform plan which is expected to be ready next year.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the details and quantum of payment have not been worked out but the plan would ensure that the public could get quality medical service at their convenience.
“The plan is to pay a portion of the bill but there is a cap to the amount,” he told reporters yesterday after a courtesy call from World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Dr Margaret Chan and Chinese deputy health minister Wang Guoqiang at his office here,
“The public will pay the remaining amount,” said Liow, adding that WHO had offered their expertise and advice.
Liow said the proposed healthcare reform would also see the Government introducing the national health financing scheme.
He said the ministry was studying several models implemented in other countries such as paying medical bills through deduction from the Employees Provident Fund or a tri-parte payment scheme were medical cost would be borne by the patient, his employer and the government.

Improve quality of care for post-partum period, docs urged

Star: PETALING JAYA: Doctors need to improve the quality of care for the post-partum period, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican.
He said 60% of the deaths occurred during post-natal period and the rate was higher among women over 40 and those who had given birth more than five times, he said.
“Patient factors such as unbooked cases (where mothers did not receive antenatal care and did not register with a health facility for child delivery) and non-compliance to doctors’ advice, admission and therapy were identified as contributory factors to maternal deaths.”
Common remediable clinical factors included failure in communication and lack of technical knowledge and skill that resulted in failure to recognise early warnings, he added.
Dr Ismail said for every maternal death there were many “near misses” and this might provide doctors with more information on areas for improvement than mortality figures.
The implementation of inquiry recommendations and guidelines had shown to improve maternal health policies, procedures and practices and save the lives of mothers and their babies, he said.
He pointed out there was a steep rise in Caesarean section rates over the world with patients not fully understanding the risks involved. Since they might suffer complicated subsequent operative procedures, he urged senior doctors to be more actively involved in the management of high risk cases.
He added that the risks involved must be discussed and informed consent obtained and documented.

Health Ministry to take over new centre

Star: KUCHING: The Federal Government has agreed to take over the newly completed Sarawak International Medical Centre (SIMC) in Samarahan, near here.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam said the Health Ministry was now evaluating the centre’s buildings and facilities.
“An occupation permit has been obtained, and all the essential facilities are available to start operations.
“I will ensure that the Health Ministry will be able to operate the SIMC as a general hospital for the benefit of the people within the shortest possible time,” he added.

New strain of cholera found

Star: PUTRAJAYA: Those in Terengannu suffering from diarrhoea or vomiting should seek immediate medical attention, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
This, he added, was because of the outbreak in the state of a new strain of cholera that has already caused one death.
He said severe dehydration from vomiting or diarrhoea would affect vital organs, especially the kidneys and if help was not sought quickly enough, the patient could die from organ failure.
“The current outbreak in Terengganu is caused by a new strain that is resistant to the antibiotics usually used to treat cholera.
“Although we can still treat it, we want those suffering from such symptoms to go to the nearest medical facility quickly to ensure early diagnosis,” Liow told a press conference after attending the National Food Safety and Dietary Council meeting and launching the Infants and Children’s feeding guidelines here yesterday.
Liow said there have been 174 confirmed cholera cases in the state since the outbreak on Nov 11 and it was suspected to have been due to food, especially ice-cubes, that was not hygienically prepared.
He said all those confirmed suffering from cholera were warded in hospitals and only allowed to return home if there was no trace of the bacteria in their faeces for three consecutive days. Hospitals in the state have so far discharged 33 of the patients.
“We have already dispatched a surveillance team to start conducting checks to identify the source of the problem and expect it to complete the task soon.
“We want to advise the people to observe good hygiene in food preparation, eat cooked food and avoid eating in shops where the cleanliness is questionable,” he said.
Liow also said the outbreak in Terengganu was not caused by the recent floods and did not involve any of those placed in various flood relief centres.

Go for regular dental check-ups, public urged

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Only six per cent of the 28 million population in Malaysia seek dental treatment and services with half of them being schoolchildren.
Health Ministry’s oral health director Datin Dr Norain Abu Talib said this was because Malaysians prefer to seek treatment when there was a pressing need and not as a preventive measure.
“It is common for Malaysians to visit the dentist when they have toothache. If they don’t have toothache, they don’t think they have any dental problems,” she said.
Dr Norain said this at a press conference after officiating at the 20th Scientific Convention and Trade Exhibition and the 41st Annual General Meeting of the Malaysian Private Dental Practitioners’ Association here yesterday.
“Six per cent is a very low number and more than half of that percentage is actually schoolchildren,” she said.
Although there was a shortage of dentists, she said the ministry was optimistic in resolving the problem.
Currently, the ratio is one dentist to every 7,800 Malaysians.
“We have targeted to achieve a ratio of one dentist to every 4,000 Malaysians by 2020 but with the 11 dentistry schools nationwide, we believe we can achieve the figure two years earlier than expected.”

Diabetes threat bigger than H1N1

Star: PETALING JAYA: The country is heading towards becoming a “sick nation” as far as diabetes is concerned, a health expert has cautioned.
“The (diabetes) situation is getting worse. It could get worse than H1N1 or AIDS if the people don’t do something about their health,” Malaysian Dia­betes Association president Prof Dr Ikram Shah Ismail said.
He said a National Health and Morbidity Survey in 2006 showed a prevalence rate of 14.9% for those aged above 30, with a third of Malay­sians with diabetes not being aware of it.
The survey also estimated that about 70% of diabetics in the country had poor control over the disease.
About 95% to 98% of those affected have Type 2 diabetes, which is non-insulin dependent.
Dr Ikram said neglecting medication or continuing to indulge in sweet food like ice cream contributed to poor control of diabetes.
“And there are those who do not see the doctor regularly, so they don’t know what their control is like. The problem with diabetes is that those with a HbA1c reading of more than 10 do not show symptoms. They feel normal even if their blood glucose is high,” he added.
The ideal target for good control of diabetes is having a HbA1c (a blood test that provides the average of blood sugar control over a three-month period) reading of 6.5% or lower.
He said Malaysians were also getting diabetes at an earlier age.
“They are not healthy because they are not eating healthy food or exercising. Previously, although they had the genes, they did not get diabetes until they were much older,” he added.
Consultant endocrinologist Prof Datuk Dr Khalid Abdul Kadir, who is a professor of medicine at Monash University Malaysia, said the country’s increased prevalence rate was similar to that in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.
He added the effects of the Govern­ment’s intervention programmes to promote a healthy lifestyle had not been evident.
Dr Khalid and a team of researchers are studying whether stress in­c­reases the risk of humans developing diabetes.
Tests conducted on rats by the team determined stress as a risk factor.
In Putrajaya, Dharminder Singh reported that Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the National Strategic Plan would be launched early next year to combat the rising number of cases of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular problems.
The plan was formulated after the National Health and Morbidity Sur­vey reported the percentage of obese Malaysians aged 18 and above had risen from 4.4% in 1996 to 14% just 10 years later while cases of diabetes among those aged 30 and above rose from 8.3% to over 14% during the same period.
He added that obesity was a worrying trend because it increased health risks.
Liow spoke to reporters after launching the “1Malaysia Brings Diabetes To Light Campaign” yesterday.

200,000 A(H1N1) vaccine doses for high-risk group

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 200,000 influenza A(H1N1) vaccine doses will be available for the high-risk groups, including pregnant women and those with chronic diseases by January.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the country had ordered a total of 400,000 influenza A (H1N1) vaccines, half of which would first be administered to frontliners like healthcare workers and civil servants.
“We are now identifying those in the high-risk groups and we should be able to provide them with the injection by January next year,” he told reporters here on Saturday after attending the Sara Lee-Tesco Anti-Aedes Campaign here.
He said research was being carried out now to incorporate the A(H1N1) vaccine into the seasonal flu vaccine.
“This kind of vaccine will give protection to all sorts of flu, including the H1N1 virus,” he said.
However, Liow said he was unsure when such vaccine would be available in the market as the research was still ongoing.
“Hopefully, we will get it by next year,” he said.

On dengue fever, Liow said there were 34,975 such cases with 75 deaths as of last Saturday.
“There is a drop of 10% in the number of such cases compared to 38,995 cases with 84 deaths during the same period last year,” he said.
He said Selangor recorded the highest number of dengue cases with 47% of 16,591 cases happened in the state.
“Currently, there are nine dengue hotspots in Selangor, of which two are in the Hulu Langat district,” he said.
He said some of these areas had been having the epidemic for more than two months and most of the breeding grounds were found at empty houses or students’ accommodation.
Liow said as part of the ministry’s effort to eliminate Aedes mosquitoes, it had launched the Anti-Aedes campaign to urge the public to spend at least 10 minutes a week to check their house and eradicate Aedes breeding.

Too few cadavers for organ harvesting, says Ismail

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The cadaveric donation rate in Malaysia is 0.97 to every one million of the population, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican.
“At this rate, in addition to the increase of patients with chronic diseases, the waiting period for donated organs has become too long.
“Furthermore, Malaysia is far behind in its organ donation rate at 0.97 as compared to developed countries such as Spain which has a rate of 34.3 donors per one million citizens and Singapore with 5.9,” he added.
“What’s more saddening is, there are patients who could not be saved as they had succumbed to their diseases while on the waiting list,” he said after opening the new National Transplant Resource Centre office in Wisma Sejarah at Jalan Tun Razak yesterday.
Dr Ismail said the ministry was taking steps to improve on the matter.
The centre will have 15 full-time ministry officers to help manage the service.
Previously, the centre operated at the main lobby of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital with only one officer in charge.
The centre was launched in 1997 to spread correct information and increase awareness on organ donation and transplantation in Malaysia.

Brace for new wave of H1N1

Star: PUTRAJAYA: The country should brace itself for a possible second wave of Influenza A(H1N1), after reports of the disease resurfacing in the Northern Hemisphere and an alert announced by the United States.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the surveillance teams set up when the first A(H1N1) cases appeared in Malaysia were still in place and were continuing to detect and monitor all cases of the flu.
He said thermal scanners at all entry points into the country were still operating, adding that he was confident the second wave would be quickly detected and control measures put in place if it were to hit the country.
Liow was speaking at a press conference after launching his ministry’s Innovation Day celebrations here yesterday.
However, the minister said the spread of the A(H1N1) virus has slowed tremendously over the last few months, from 400 to 500 cases a day to just between 20 and 30 cases a day now.
On the 1Malaysia Community Clinics announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak during his 2010 budget speech, Liow said the ministry had already identified several locations for the 50 clinics to be opened nationwide in January next year.
He said the clinics would be run by medical assistants and offer outpatient services like dressings for wounds as well treatment for simple colds, coughs and headaches.
“There will be visiting doctors making rounds at the clinics and if the patients need more serious attention when the doctors are not around, they will be referred to the nearest private clinic,” he said.