Skip to main content

Virus may have infected 140,000, says Liow

Image
By

By Annie Freeda Cruez

PUTRAJAYA: More than 140,000 Malaysians could have been infected with influenza A (H1N1).

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said this was based on the number of confirmed cases reported by the ministry since May.

"We have more than 7,000 confirmed cases. To determine the number of cases in the community, the number of confirmed cases is multiplied by 20," he told media editors and reporters in a two-hour dialogue on the influenza A (H1N1) situation in Malaysia.

The meeting was also to get feedback from the media on the problems they encountered, the complaints received from the public and what was happening on the ground.

He said there were thousands of Malaysians infected with the disease but the majority recovered while some in the vulnerable group suffered complications and needed to be hospitalised.

Expressing sadness at the 69 deaths so far, he said 70 per cent of those who died had co-morbid conditions such as heart disease, hypertension and low-immunity while 27 per cent came late for treatment.

"We also had many people who suffered co-morbid conditions, confirmed positive for influenza A (H1N1) but returned home well after being treated in hospitals."

He cited a case where an elderly man confirmed positive had to be in ICU for 25 days but recovered and returned home.

Liow also rapped some general practitioners for not adhering to the ministry's guidelines on who to treat with the anti-viral drug, Tamiflu, also known as Oseltamivir, which resulted in some victims dying.

Citing the latest death reported, he said, a 38-year-old teacher had sought treatment at a private clinic on Aug 13 for fever and cough which she had for two days.

"The rapid test done revealed that she was positive for influenza A but the doctor just treated her with medication for her cough and fever without prescribing Tamiflu despite her being obese and falling in the vulnerable category."

Five days later, he added, the teacher suffered breathing difficulty and cyanosis (a blue discolouration of the skin and mucous membranes) and initially sought treatment at a private hospital before being transferred to Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

He said a throat swab was done on Aug 18 before the teacher was put on Tamiflu but her condition worsened and she died the following day due to pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. She was confirmed positive on Aug 20.

"If the general practitioner had strictly adhered to our guidelines and put her on Tamiflu, she may not have died," said Liow, adding he would meet doctors in the private sector this week to discuss the issue. - NST

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Risiko ikat peranakan

By
KEADAAN mengikat peranakan (dari kiri) dilecuhkan, ikat, potong dan klip. Peluang wanita hamil semula amat tipis biarpun jalani prosedur buka semula salur fallopian dan IVF APAKAH pilihan yang ada sekiranya selepas mengikat salur peranakan secara Bilateral Tubal Ligation (BTL), anda mengubah fikiran untuk hamil semula? Pertama melakukan prosedur Reversal of Tubal Ligation (RTL) iaitu membuka semula tiub fallopian yang diikat atau teknik Permanian Berhadas yang lebih dikenali sebagai In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Apapun pilihan anda, dilemanya tetap ada. Pelbagai faktor harus diambil kira termasuk emosi, mental, fizikal, peratusan kejayaan kedua-dua teknik ini yang masih rendah selain kosnya yang agak tinggi. Isu berkaitan zuriat memang cukup menyentuh emosi kerana zuriat bukan saja mampu mengukuhkan ikatan perkahwinan malah berkemungkinan menjadi penyebab keruntuhan rumah tangga. Pakar Perunding Obstetrik, Ginekologi dan Perubatan Reproduktif, Pusat Perubatan Darul Ehsa...
61 comments
Read more

Yang Antah perlu bantuan rawat mata

By
Oleh Siti Haliza Yusop shyusop@bharian.com.my Yang Antah Afiqa bersama ibunya, Mislizam Dzulkifli. Bapa terpaksa jual kereta biayai perubatan KUALA LUMPUR: Seorang bapa merayu simpati orang ramai bagi membolehkan anaknya Yang Antah Afiqah, 5, yang menghidap masalah kornea mata sejak kecil menjalani rawatan segera agar dapat melihat dengan lebih jelas seperti kanak-kanak lain. Mohd Kamarulzaman Ismail, 48, berkata sejak anaknya itu dimasukkan ke hospital, beliau terpaksa menjual kereta jenis Nissan Sunny miliknya untuk digunakan bagi menanggung pembiayaan mengubati penyakit anaknya itu. “Penjualan kereta Nissan Sunny berjumlah lebih RM2,000 itu, digunakan sebagai pembiayaan pembedahan serta pembelian lensa mata kanan dan kiri selain menanggung perbelanjaan berulang-alik dari hospital supaya anaknya itu dapat menjalani rawatan susulan. “Saya juga turut berharap sumbangan dari kenalan yang turut bersimpati dengan nasib saya yang perlu menangg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cat Mesra Alam, Rendah Bau, Baik Untuk Kesihatan

By
Oleh Rohana Mustaffa KUALA LUMPUR, 22 Jan (Bernama) -- Bagi mereka yang gemar menghidu bau dinding baru disapu cat, mereka tidak menyedari aroma yang agak 'mengasyikkan' ini ialah wap cat yang sebenarnya antara bahan alergi yang biasa didapati di rumah selain hama debu, bulu binatang peliharaan dan kulat. Walaupun sapuan cat baru cara paling mudah memberikan kesegaran pada suasana bilik, wap atau gas dikeluarkan dari dinding yang baru disapu cat, sebenarnya membawa risiko kepada kesihatan. Memang ada yang rasa teruja bila berada di dalam bilik yang baru menerima sapuan lapisan cat. Tetapi bagi yang lain termasuk mereka yang melakukan kerja mengecat itu sendiri, boleh mengalami pedih mata, sakit kepala selain semput nafas. Kajian menunjukkan pendedahan berlebihan terhadap 'wap' yang dihasilkan dari cat boleh menyebabkan iritasi mata dan juga masalah pernafasan. Ada juga laporan tentang risiko keguguran yang lebih tinggi, peningkatan risiko asma kanak-kanak serta ...
Post a Comment
Read more