Dengue lets down Liow's KPI

KUALA LUMPUR: Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai yesterday admitted that he has not achieved his key performance indicator (KPI) in reducing the incidence of dengue in the country.

Asked if he was anywhere near the target, he said there was an increase of nearly 60 per cent in dengue deaths compared with the previous year. "My KPI is to reduce the number of cases in the country by 10 per cent every year," he said, adding that the number was not going down although the ministry was "fighting hard".

Liow was launching the Malaysian Medical Association-Ministry of Health (MMA-MOH) Infectious Diseases Conference at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel here.

As of yesterday, the dengue death toll had risen to 125 from 123 on Saturday, compared with 77 deaths in the same period last year. But Liow was quick to point out that the number of deaths last year was greatly reduced from 120 in 2008.

"The number fluctuates year to year. In the Asean meeting for Health Ministers, other countries from the tropics also reported high cases of dengue," he said, adding that dengue was not just a disease but also an environmental issue. The number of deaths was also attributed to the fact that only 40 per cent of cases were referred to hospitals due to late detection of the disease. Liow hoped more doctors would upgrade their knowledge of early dengue detection by getting a copy of the revised clinical practice guidelines on the management of dengue infection in adults, available for download on the ministry's website.

"Early detection is critical so that patients can be treated. "If doctors are not aware, patients will only be sent to the hospitals later and this raises the death rate as now, patients can die from dengue in four days compared with one week previously," he said. MMA president Dr David Quek said patients must also cooperate with doctors to get the correct diagnosis. "Dengue infections in the first few days are misleading because they have symptoms similar to the flu. "When doctors ask patients to come back after a few days if the situation persists, they must go back to the same doctor and not jump from clinic to clinic until it is too late," he said. "There are also patients who are not easy to persuade to go to the hospital," he said. On the Influenza A (H5N1) infection that was reported in Hong Kong on Nov 18, Liow said thermal scanners, which were installed in airports during the Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak, can help detect tourists infected with the virus. On Nov 18, a 59-year-old woman in Hong Kong tested positive for the H5N1 virus, a variant that causes bird flu. Officials were reported saying the woman had just returned from a trip to mainland China but it was too early to say where she contracted the disease.

Read more: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/05deng/Article#ixzz162NOkGJ2

Dua kematian akibat denggi di Sabah hari ini - Menteri Kesihatan

KUALA LUMPUR: Dua kematian terbaru akibat denggi dilaporkan di Sabah hari ini, masing-masing satu kes di Tawau dan Sandakan dan menjadikan jumlah meningkat kepada 125 kematian akibat denggi sejak Januari tahun ini, kata Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

Bagaimanapun, beliau tidak memberi butiran lanjut mengenai dua kes kematian itu. Beliau meminta semua pengamal perubatan mengambil perhatian terhadap pesakit yang mendapatkan rawatan di klinik atau hospital sekiranya mereka menunjukkan simptom-simptom awal penyakit itu kerana kes denggi di negara semakin serius.

"Semua doktor dan pengamal perubatan di klinik dan hospital tidak seharusnya mengambil mudah dan bertindak lewat dalam mengambil tindakan dalam memberi rawatan kepada pesakit yang disyaki mengalami simptom awal denggi," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan "Persidangan Penyakit Berjangkit 2010: Isu-isu dan Cabaran" anjuran bersama Persatuan Perubatan Malaysia (MMA) dan Kementerian Kesihatan yang berlangsung di sini, hari ini.

Dalam usaha menangani kes denggi dengan berkesan, Liow meminta semua pengamal perubatan merujuk kepada garis panduan klinikal mengenai denggi di laman web kementerian di www.moh.gov.my, katanya.

Beliau berkata pengamal perubatan perlu mengesan penyakit denggi pada peringkat awal agar dapat mengurangkan jumlah kes denggi yang semakin meningkat sekarang.

"Jika dibandingkan kes kematian pada masa lalu, pesakit denggi yang kritikal meninggal dunia pada tempoh satu minggu dan ke atas tetapi ia berbeza sekarang apabila seseorang pesakit boleh meninggal dalam tempoh kurang dari tempoh satu minggu," katanya.

Beliau berkata, buat masa ini tiada ubat atau vaksin khusus untuk penyakit denggi, maka ia adalah sangat penting pesakit yang disyaki mengalami penyakit itu mendapat rawatan pada peringkat awal agar ia tidak menjadi serius.

Katanya, antara Petunjuk Utama Pencapaian (KPI) kementerian adalah untuk menurunkan kes denggi di seluruh negara, sekurang-kurangnya pada kadar 10 peratus pada setiap tahun.

Selain itu, Liow juga meminta orang ramai tidak mengambil mudah masalah denggi dan memberikan kerjasama dengan kementerian dengan mengamalkan langkah-langkah pencegahan seperti menjaga kebersihan diri, kebersihan premis makanan dan kediaman yang disarankan kementerian.

Semalam, Timbalan Menteri Kesihatan Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin berkata, Selangor adalah negeri yang mencatatkan kes denggi tertinggi di negara iaitu sebanyak 15,323 kes dengan kematian berjumlah 43 orang sehingga Jumaat lalu.-Bernama