Help spread virus by sneezing out loud

Sneeze your heart out...

2nd H1N1 Case In Malaysia

Immediate home quarantine a must for those who took Flight AK5358
PUTRAJAYA: Health departments nationwide have been directed to place under immediate home quarantine all those on AirAsia Flight AK5358 last Wednesday from the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Sepang to Penang.
...
There were 102 passengers – all believed to be Malaysians – on the flight, among them the country’s second A (H1N1) flu case, a 21-year-old female Malaysian student who had flown in from the United States.
...

Click on link to read report
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/5/18/nation/3929030&sec=nation


Another student has A (H1N1) flu
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is stepping up efforts to contain the spread of influenza A (H1N1) after a second person came down with the illness.

The second patient — a 21-year-old female student in the United States — was admitted after she sought treatment at the Penang Hospital on Friday. She is from Kerian in Perak.

She was on board the same flight as the first patient....

Click on link to read report http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/5/17/nation/3925765&sec=nation


21-year-old student from US has H1N1
PUTRAJAYA: The influenza A(H1N1) virus has landed in Malaysia.

The first case of the flu with pandemic potential was confirmed when a young student who returned from the United States on Wednesday de­veloped a fever and was hospitalised.

The 21-year-old student, who flew on Malaysia Airlines flight MH091 from Newark, New Jersey, to the KL International Airport (KLIA) via Stockholm in Sweden, has been placed in an isolation ward at the Sungai Buloh Hospital since Thursday evening and is being treated with anti-viral medication.
...

Click on link to read report http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/5/16/nation/3921680&sec=nation

Swine Flu

WHO raises pandemic alert level to 4 for the first time

GENEVA, April 28 — The World Health Organisation (WHO) raised its pandemic alert level over the deadly swine flu virus to phase 4 yesterday, indicating the infection could spread between humans to cause “community-level outbreaks”....

Click link to read report http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/world/24761-who-raises-pandemic-alert-level-to-4-for-the-first-time


Q&A: The Swine Flu Outbreak
Click link to read report http://my-1.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/world/24766-qaa-the-swine-flu-outbreak-




Swine Flu

What is Swine Influenza?
Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans. The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.

How many swine flu viruses are there?
Like all influenza viruses, swine flu viruses change constantly. Pigs can be infected by avian influenza and human influenza viruses as well as swine influenza viruses. When influenza viruses from different species infect pigs, the viruses can reassort (i.e. swap genes) and new viruses that are a mix of swine, human and/or avian influenza viruses can emerge. Over the years, different variations of swine flu viruses have emerged. At this time, there are four main influenza type A virus subtypes that have been isolated in pigs: H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1. However, most of the recently isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.

Swine Flu in Humans

Can humans catch swine flu?
Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human infections with swine flu have occurred. Most commonly, these cases occur in persons with direct exposure to pigs (e.g. children near pigs at a fair or workers in the swine industry). In addition, there have been documented cases of one person spreading swine flu to others. For example, an outbreak of apparent swine flu infection in pigs in Wisconsin in 1988 resulted in multiple human infections, and, although no community outbreak resulted, there was antibody evidence of virus transmission from the patient to health care workers who had close contact with the patient.

How common is swine flu infection in humans?
In the past, CDC received reports of approximately one human swine influenza virus infection every one to two years in the U.S., but from December 2005 through February 2009, 12 cases of human infection with swine influenza have been reported.

What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?
The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Can people catch swine flu from eating pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You can not get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.

How does swine flu spread?
Influenza viruses can be directly transmitted from pigs to people and from people to pigs. Human infection with flu viruses from pigs are most likely to occur when people are in close proximity to infected pigs, such as in pig barns and livestock exhibits housing pigs at fairs. Human-to-human transmission of swine flu can also occur. This is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu occurs in people, which is mainly person-to-person transmission through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus. People may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

What do we know about human-to-human spread of swine flu?
In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman was hospitalized for pneumonia and died 8 days later. A swine H1N1 flu virus was detected. Four days before getting sick, the patient visited a county fair swine exhibition where there was widespread influenza-like illness among the swine.

In follow-up studies, 76% of swine exhibitors tested had antibody evidence of swine flu infection but no serious illnesses were detected among this group. Additional studies suggest that one to three health care personnel who had contact with the patient developed mild influenza-like illnesses with antibody evidence of swine flu infection.

How can human infections with swine influenza be diagnosed?
To diagnose swine influenza A infection, a respiratory specimen would generally need to be collected within the first 4 to 5 days of illness (when an infected person is most likely to be shedding virus). However, some persons, especially children, may shed virus for 10 days or longer. Identification as a swine flu influenza A virus requires sending the specimen to CDC for laboratory testing.

What medications are available to treat swine flu infections in humans?
There are four different antiviral drugs that are licensed for use in the US for the treatment of influenza: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir. While most swine influenza viruses have been susceptible to all four drugs, the most recent swine influenza viruses isolated from humans are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. At this time, CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine influenza viruses.

What other examples of swine flu outbreaks are there?
Probably the most well known is an outbreak of swine flu among soldiers in Fort Dix, New Jersey in 1976. The virus caused disease with x-ray evidence of pneumonia in at least 4 soldiers and 1 death; all of these patients had previously been healthy. The virus was transmitted to close contacts in a basic training environment, with limited transmission outside the basic training group. The virus is thought to have circulated for a month and disappeared. The source of the virus, the exact time of its introduction into Fort Dix, and factors limiting its spread and duration are unknown. The Fort Dix outbreak may have been caused by introduction of an animal virus into a stressed human population in close contact in crowded facilities during the winter. The swine influenza A virus collected from a Fort Dix soldier was named A/New Jersey/76 (Hsw1N1).

Is the H1N1 swine flu virus the same as human H1N1 viruses?
No. The H1N1 swine flu viruses are antigenically very different from human H1N1 viruses and, therefore, vaccines for human seasonal flu would not provide protection from H1N1 swine flu viruses.

Swine Flu in Pigs

How does swine flu spread among pigs?
Swine flu viruses are thought to be spread mostly through close contact among pigs and possibly from contaminated objects moving between infected and uninfected pigs. Herds with continuous swine flu infections and herds that are vaccinated against swine flu may have sporadic disease, or may show only mild or no symptoms of infection.

What are signs of swine flu in pigs?
Signs of swine flu in pigs can include sudden onset of fever, depression, coughing (barking), discharge from the nose or eyes, sneezing, breathing difficulties, eye redness or inflammation, and going off feed.

How common is swine flu among pigs?
H1N1 and H3N2 swine flu viruses are endemic among pig populations in the United States and something that the industry deals with routinely. Outbreaks among pigs normally occur in colder weather months (late fall and winter) and sometimes with the introduction of new pigs into susceptible herds. Studies have shown that the swine flu H1N1 is common throughout pig populations worldwide, with 25 percent of animals showing antibody evidence of infection. In the U.S. studies have shown that 30 percent of the pig population has antibody evidence of having had H1N1 infection. More specifically, 51 percent of pigs in the north-central U.S. have been shown to have antibody evidence of infection with swine H1N1. Human infections with swine flu H1N1 viruses are rare. There is currently no way to differentiate antibody produced in response to flu vaccination in pigs from antibody made in response to pig infections with swine H1N1 influenza.

While H1N1 swine viruses have been known to circulate among pig populations since at least 1930, H3N2 influenza viruses did not begin circulating among US pigs until 1998. The H3N2 viruses initially were introduced into the pig population from humans. The current swine flu H3N2 viruses are closely related to human H3N2 viruses.

Is there a vaccine for swine flu?
Vaccines are available to be given to pigs to prevent swine influenza. There is no vaccine to protect humans from swine flu. The seasonal influenza vaccine will likely help provide partial protection against swine H3N2, but not swine H1N1 viruses.

Article from from http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/key_facts.htm

Recognizing A Stroke

Received this from a friend via email...

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters...

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Remember the "3" steps, STR . (Remember "STaR")

Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S - Ask the individual to SMILE.

T - Ask the person to TALK. To SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE
(Coherently) ( i.e. . . It is sunny out today)

R - Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

(NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue... if the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke)

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

Uses Of Melamine & Ammonium Bicarbonate

Searched Wikipedia on these two substances... Scary to know its uses and that it found its way into our food system.

Melamine
Uses
Melamine is combined with formaldehyde to produce melamine resin, a very durable thermosetting plastic, and melamine foam, a polymeric cleaning product. The end products include countertops, dry erase boards, fabrics, glues, housewares and flame retardants. Melamine is one of the major components in Pigment Yellow 150, a colorant in inks and plastics.
...

Ammonium bicarbonate
Uses
Ammonium bicarbonate is used in the food industry as a raising agent (e.g., for gingerbread, digestive biscuit or Chinese youtiao) before the introduction of baking soda. Ammonium bicarbonate is still used in many food products, in addition to baking soda.

It is commonly used as an inexpensive nitrogen fertilizer in China, but is now being phased out in favor of urea because of its relatively low quality and instability. This compound is used as a component in the production of fire-extinguishing compounds, pharmaceuticals, dyes, pigments and it is also a basic fertilizer being a source of ammonia. Ammonium bicarbonate is still widely used in the plastic and rubber industry, in the manufacture of ceramics, in chrome leather tanning and for the synthesis of catalysts.[citation needed]

Safety
Ammonium bicarbonate is an irritant to the skin, eyes and respiratory system. Ammonium bicarbonate from China used to make cookies was found to be contaminated with melamine, and imports banned in Malaysia in the 2008 Chinese milk scandal.
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Melamine Scare: What Have I Taken Before - Julie's Crackers

From today's The Sun paper (17.10.2008), front page (part of the report). Does Julie's Crackers contain excessive melamine?.

Melamine Scare: What Have I Taken Before - Khong Guan

I remembered eating Khong Guan brand of biscuits before.

Khong Guan, Khian Guan biscuits have high level of melamine (updated)
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/10/16/nation/20081016125216&sec=nation
PUTRAJAYA: Khong Guan and Khian Guan brand biscuits have been found to contain excessive levels of melamine.

Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said 18 out of the 47 products produced by the two manufacturers contained more than the permissible level of malamine, which is 2.5mg/kg or 2.5 parts per million (ppm).
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Chinese food agent banned after melamine found
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/91400
The government has banned the import of Chinese-made food raising agent ammonium carbonate after tests showed it exceeded acceptable levels of the industrial chemical melamine.
...

Too much melamine found in 18 types of biscuits
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/10/17/nation/2305367&sec=nation
PUTRAJAYA: Eighteen types of biscuits bearing the Khong Guan and Khian Guan brands have been found to contain excessive levels of melamine.
...


My related blog:
Melamine Scare: What Have I Taken Before - Rabbit
Melamine Scare: What Have I Taken Before-Lipton

Melamine Scare: What Have I Taken Before - Rabbit

Another product I used to consume.


White Rabbit creamy candy tested melamine positive.
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 - The Health Ministry has directed that White Rabbit Creamer Candy and Ego White Rabbit Creamy Candy be removed from the shelf and destroyed after tests found that they are melamine positive.

Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said laboratory tests showed that the candies contained melamine above the standard or 135 parts per million (ppm)....

Click on link to read report.

Melamine Scare: What Have I Taken Before-Lipton

According to Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety (CFS), click link

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) was informed by Unilever Hong Kong Limited today (September 30) that the company would recall four batches of Lipton milk tea powder.

The affected products are:
. Lipton Milk Tea Powder Original (17g x 20 sachets) - Best Before Date: 17112009
. Lipton Milk Tea Powder Gold (18.5g x 10 sachets) –Best Before Date: 17112009
. Lipton Milk Tea Powder Gold (18.5g x 20 sachets) - Best Before Date: 18112009
. Lipton Milk Tea Powder Gold (18.5g x 20 sachets) - Best Before Date: 19112009

I drank a few sachets of Lipton Milk Tea Powder Original in my office before, see picture below. Well the one in my office is 15g and the best before date is 240709.

2 and 2 and 2 for 2 (Update)

Aunty Sharon sent two toothbrushes (make that 4 toothbrushes, which also lights up for 60 seconds) and two books on brushing teeth for her two nieces.

These toothbrushes can be lighted up (flash) for 60 seconds.

The books makes brushing fun.
Sesame Street "Ready, Set Brush!" It is a pop-up book.

"Brush your teeth please", also a pop-up book.

Free Dental Checkup April 2008

Checkout this website for free* dental checkup for the month of April 2008.
*Terms applicable.

http://www.ohm2008.com.my/
http://www.colgate.com.my
http://www.mda.org.my