The CDC recommends treating pregnant women with influenza-like illness as soon as possible.
See this CNN/ABC video:
from the Malaysian Medical Resources
See this CNN/ABC video:
from the Malaysian Medical Resources
Circumcising men who already have HIV does not protect their female partners from the virus, a study in Uganda has found.
Circumcision is known to protect men from acquiring HIV.
But the research, from the Lancet, showed no benefit in those who already had the virus and was stopped early because of the continued risk to women.
Experts say HIV-positive men should still be offered circumcision, but also warned to use condoms.
from the Malaysian Medical Resources
It was recently reported that a young boy in China was killed when a computer chair he was sitting on exploded. Metal fragments pierced the boy’s rectum resulting in extensive and fatal bleeding.
The chair in question was a standard gas cylinder type, where the height is regulated by an adjustable cylinder containing highly pressurised gas, and it was this which exploded, sending high velocity chair parts into the posterior of the unfortunate youth.
In fact, it seems a spate of such incidents were reported at the hospital – 3 such injuries caused by exploding chairs were reported this month, perhaps indicating an influx of poorly manufactured chairs into the area.
Makes me wonder if similar incidents have happened in Malaysia. The report certainly made me have a closer look at the chair I am sitting on!
from the Malaysian Medical Resources
Now, a small but growing body of research suggests that barefoot is the way adults should run, too. So, many runners have been shucking off the high-tech trainers in favor of naked feet — or minimalist footwear like Nike Free, the Newton All-Weather Trainer and the glove-like Vibram FiveFingers.
“People have been running barefoot for millions of years and it has only been since 1972 that people have been wearing shoes with thick, synthetic heels,” said Daniel Lieberman, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University.
Strong evidence shows that thickly cushioned running shoes have done nothing to prevent injury in the 30-odd years since Nike founder Bill Bowerman invented them, researchers say. Some smaller, earlier studies suggest that running in shoes may increase the risk of ankle sprains, plantar fasciitis and other injuries. Runners who wear cheap running shoes have fewer injuries than those wearing expensive trainers. Meanwhile, injuries plague 20 to 80 percent of regular runners every year.
I suppose “minimalist shoes” like the Vibram Fivefingers
might be an alternative to regular shoes but as the article implies, the jury is still out there whether these are indeed any better than running barefoot but I still think the feet need some protection against cuts and injuries which one may get if running barefoot.
from the Malaysian Medical Resources
Is it time to ditch our Nikes?
Dr Michael Day, from Bedfordshire, north of London, died on Saturday at Luton and Dunstable Hospital, local NHS officials said.
Tests showed he had tested positive for the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, although the exact cause of death was still unknown.
While details are sketchy at this point in time, it is a warning to healthcare workers that they must be vigilant and continue to take protective measures. In the US, at least 81 healthcare workers have contracted H1N1 according to the CDC, about half most likely in a healthcare setting. In the MMWR reminds healthcare workers the importance to adhering to infection control guidelines:
Routine infection-control recommendations to decrease the risk for transmission of seasonal influenza to HCP include vaccination, isolation of infected patients in single rooms, and use of standard precautions and droplet precautions. For infections with the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus, because of the lack of a vaccine and little initial information regarding the severity and transmissibility of the virus, CDC’s interim infection-control recommendations for the care of patients with such infections have included the use of fit-tested N95 respirators, eye protection, and contact precautions in addition to routine infection-control practices applied to seasonal influenza. In addition, CDC has recommended that aerosol-generating procedures (e.g., bronchoscopy) should be performed in an airborne infection–isolation room with negative pressure air handling. In this analysis, among the 11 HCP infected because of probable or possible patient to HCP transmission for whom information was available, none adhered to these recommended practices completely.
The Malaysian public should appreciate our healthcare system where the dedicated under-appreciated workforce of nurses, MAs, doctors etc. face healh hazards daily in the course of their work. I don’t think we are going to see a situation like in Argentina where there are reports of some hospitals where 40% of workers did not show up for work.
The WHO has sounded the clarion call for a vaccine. This is needed urgently and the priority should go to healthcare workers who are in the front-line. The Health Minister has made a similar pronouncement. Development and supply of the vaccine is still months away so the only thing we can do is be vigilant and take infection control precautions.
from the Malaysian Medical Resources
Doctor dies after catching H1N1
from the Malaysian Medical Resources
Swearing as a response to pain.
Stephens R, Atkins J, Kingston A.
School of Psychology, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, UK. r.stephens@psy.keele.ac.ukAlthough a common pain response, whether swearing alters individuals’ experience of pain has not been investigated. This study investigated whether swearing affects cold-pressor pain tolerance (the ability to withstand immersing the hand in icy water), pain perception and heart rate. In a repeated measures design, pain outcomes were assessed in participants asked to repeat a swear word versus a neutral word. In addition, sex differences and the roles of pain catastrophising, fear of pain and trait anxiety were explored. Swearing increased pain tolerance, increased heart rate and decreased perceived pain compared with not swearing. However, swearing did not increase pain tolerance in males with a tendency to catastrophise. The observed pain-lessening (hypoalgesic) effect may occur because swearing induces a fight-or-flight response and nullifies the link between fear of pain and pain perception.
Perhaps the next step is to see if swearing in certain dialects or languages have better pain control effects? 
Perhaps I’m biased, but I always thought the very creative combinations (you know what I mean!) of the Cantonese swear words would beat anything the English language has to offer, and probably would even make a drunk pirate blush!
from the Malaysian Medical Resources
from the Malaysian Medical Resources
VIDEO: Low-Calorie Diet May Help Maintain Youth, Breast Ca Risk Lower in Migraine Sufferers
“Employees seeking medical treatment were issued with guarantee letters which required them to sign consent authorising the doctor to reveal the workers’ ailment including present and past medical history with copies to the bank,” he told Bernama.
Failure of the doctor to comply with the ‘directive’ of the company will surely jeopardise the position of his/her clinic within the list of panel clinics. Losing ‘clients’ in this way is surely not good business sense.
Unfortunately, neither is it a good business sense for the company to allow its employees to abuse medical leaves. Medical leave is certainly a perk rather than a right. I know of individuals who will ‘utilise’ the allocated medical leaves, in addition to the quota for annual paid leave. So companies are trying hard to curb this ‘fraud’.
This takes me back to the doctors who issue these medical certificates. Certainly there are some ailments that can be fabricated. A patient that comes complaining of menstrual pain would certainly get a medical certificate and the doctor can hardly know if she may or may not be malingering. Recognising abusers of the system may be more than an art than science.
Certainly there are two sides to the coin here. On one hand, there are employees abusing the system daily, and on the other, companies disrespecting the privacies of these individuals on their payroll. Both parties should stop such hostilities.
Although the ‘Docs’ get the headlines this time, I feel this is an issue between employer and employee.
from the Malaysian Medical Resources
The Health Minister recently announced that Malaysia has decided to stop trying to contain #H1N1 (it really was a futile exercise IMO) and finally gone on to a mitigation phase. Containment has already clearly failed in other countries as this strain is so infectious it is not surprising. The only hope of “containment” is really when there is enough “herd immunity” and apart from natural infections will come in the way of a vaccine when it is available in sufficient quantities.
The MMA President, Dr. David Quek recently shared his views on this topic in an NST Crosstalk. If you missed it, don’t worry since David is a medical blogger, you can read his post here:
H1N1 Flu: Onwards to Mitigation Phase…. David emphasizes:
As we progress from containment to mitigation phase, we must urge every citizen to remain calm but responsible so that they can help prevent even greater local spread of the infection. Personal hygiene and even voluntary social distancing is still the prudent approach even if these are inconvenient or costly from a personal or even national perspective.
But we must observe our civic responsibilities and duty if we are to face this pandemic together and come out of this with as little scathing consequences as possible. Unfortunately, the full extent of this influenza outbreak is unlikely to abate anytime soon, with most authorities believing that it would be at least a year or two before this infection makes any meaningful decline to levels of normalcy…
The MOH is about to launch another personal hygiene campaign. With the number of people coughing and sneezing in public without bothering to cover their mouths and noses, with people openly spitting in the streets etc., I think it will fail. The overall hygiene standards of Malaysians is suspect. Just walk into a public toilet and observer how many actually wash their hands after going to the loo. Going by such adult behaviour, it is difficult to believe how good hygiene practices will be imparted to their children. Hygiene also used to be taught in primary school but I believe it’s no longer the case.
Do you expect much compliance in Malaysians voluntarily quarantining themselves at home to prevent spread to colleagues and co-workers, or children to be kept at hope to prevent them from infecting classmates? Some might but for the ones with mild ‘flu, life still carries on as usual.
David implores us to “observe our civic responsibilities and duty if we are to face this pandemic together”.
Sorry David, call me a pessimist, but mitigation will not work either in Malaysia for the reasons stated above. The only thing which will work is when the H1N1 vaccine becomes widely available, and I hope sooner rather than later.
from the Malaysian Medical Resources
#H1N1 - we are now in “mitigation phase”
Do we even need a study to show this? Well, research in Wisconsin published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that Poor Working Conditions for Docs May Affect Quality of Care
Adverse working conditions for primary care doctors, including time pressures and an unfavourable organizational culture, may lead to stress, burnout, and ultimately to lower quality patient care, a new study found.
A survey found that 53.1% of primary care physicians reported time pressure during physical examinations, while 48.1% reported chaotic working environments.
Only 23.7% felt that quality was strongly emphasized in their practices, according to Mark Linzer, MD, of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and colleagues.
Chaotic working environments. Time pressure. Unfavourable organisational culture. Stress. Burnout.
Sound familiar?
I think these are the things which the MOH should be looking into, rather than be obsessed with cutting down waiting time to 30 minutes. The ultimate goal is quality of care. What’s the point if the waiting time is cut down but at the expense of quality of care?
from the Malaysian Medical Resources
Poor working conditions for doctors affect quality of care
Breast cancer survivors in Malaysia are relating their stories and experiences on a website in an effort to reach out to other patients and survivors. The website at www.pinkribbonr2r.my is an interactive platform for anyone who wants to know more about the illness and what to expect when one is going through treatment.
Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fan, who launched the website yesterday said having such a support system would help cancer survivors as well as patients to cope with their illnesses.
“Reaching out to all women, telling them your stories, sharing your experiences with them might encourage someone to go for a mammogram, and even save someone’s life.
“Research has shown that those who attend support groups tend to have higher survival rates,” she said.
The website initiated by Malaysia’s chapter of Reach to Recovery (R2R) 2009 was part of a breast cancer support group managed by breast cancer survivors.
The Pink Ribbon R2R website has been added to our list of Support Groups.
from the Malaysian Medical Resources
Pink Ribbon: Reach to Recovery