Obesity linked to H1N1 deaths - Malaysian Insider

Aug 30, 2009

Researchers have discovered a possible link between obesity and an increased risk of dying from H1N1. — Reuters pic

PARIS, Aug 30 — Obesity has emerged as a possible contributing factor in fatal swine flu cases, according to ground-breaking research looking at deaths caused by the pandemic in countries around the world.

The claim is made by a team from the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance, which has studied the characteristics of 574 deaths associated with the pandemic H1N1 influenza up until the middle of July. According to the team’s findings, published in medical journal Eurosurveillance, underlying disease was found in at least half of all fatal cases.

Mortality patterns were in many cases similar to those associated with normal, seasonal flu. But the team observed: “Nevertheless two risk factors are noticeable: pregnancy and obesity.”

Pregnancy is already a well-documented risk factor in seasonal influenza and in previous pandemics. The study found that 16 women — representing 10 per cent of all female deaths that were studied — were pregnant or had recently delivered at the time of their death. Half of these also had other health issues. But the conclusion that obesity may be a factor in some swine flu deaths opens up a new line of investigation for epidemiologists. Where an underlying disease was found to be present after someone had died of swine flu, in more than one in four cases the deceased had a metabolic condition — diabetes and/or obesity.

The team, which concluded further research needed to be done to establish the link between obesity, severe influenza and mortality, also found significant demographic variations among those affected by the pandemic.

“Compared to younger age groups, the elderly seem to be protected from infection to some extent, perhaps due to previous exposure to strains akin to the H1N1 virus,” the team claim.

There has been a view that fatal cases involving the pandemic have tended to occur among the young, according to the team. And they found the average age of those who have died was 37. More than half of all deaths occurred among the 20- to 49-year-old age group. Overall, 12 per cent of deaths occurred in cases aged 60 years or more.

According to the latest update from the Health Protection Agency (HPA): “In the last seven days, cases reported globally have increased by 8 per cent and the number of deaths by 21 per cent.” However, the HPA suggested flu rates in England were now coming down.

Concerns remain, however, that infection rates will start to increase again come the autumn.

The French team warns: “The pandemic… is far from over, and deaths will unfortunately continue to occur. As in previous pandemics, available data show that age groups are not equally affected.” — The Observer

Direct trip now from KL to Penang - Star

By CHAN LI LEEN (lileen@thestar.com.my)

IPOH: Motorists travelling between Kuala Lumpur and Penang on the North-South Expressway need no longer stop at the Ipoh Selatan and Jelapang toll plazas to pay toll or collect tickets.

They can now travel straight to the Juru toll plaza or the various toll plazas in Kuala Lumpur.


Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor, who opened the 14.7km Ipoh Selatan-Jelapang through-traffic stretch yesterday, said that with the shifting of the Ipoh Selatan and Jelapang toll plazas, there would be less congestion.

The two toll plazas have now been moved to separate lanes parallel to the expressway following a RM283mil upgrading exercise.

The Jelapang toll, now sited 800m south of its original location, has been renamed Ipoh Utara toll.

The direct route was part of the three-lane widening project.

”Previously, many accidents occurred when users, especially heavy vehicles, slowed down and stopped to pay at the Jelapang toll plaza,” he told reporters.

Shaziman added that safety would also improve as locals, who previously shared the road to get around different parts of the city, would be using the separate non-toll road parallel to the expressway.

“According to PLUS Expressways Bhd, of the 40,000 motorists using the stretch daily, 26,000 were locals who used it to get to different parts of the city,” he said.

Just one number to do business with government

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 – Pemudah, the country’s special task force dedicated to facilitate all aspects of doing business in Malaysia, has initiated a single number reference called MyCoID.

Initially, as of July 1, the single number reference is applied to five agencies, namely Inland Revenue Board (IRB), Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF), Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), Royal Malaysian Customs (RMC) and Social Security Organisation (Socso).

All other agencies will be using the reference number in stages, according to a statement released by the Pemudah secretariat.

MyCoID is a standard identification number of a business entity for use in its interaction with government agencies.

It is the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) business registration number for companies, sole proprietors and partnerships.

“New businesses registering with CCM from July 1, 2009, can use the MyCoID when registering with the five agencies – IRB, HRDF, EPF, RMC and Socso,” the secretariat said.

“Existing companies (those registered before July 1, 2009) will be able to use their registration numbers as their MyCoID when dealing with IRB, EPF, and HRDF from Sept 1, 2009.

However, for RMC and Socso, these companies can only use their CCM registration numbers as their MyCoID from Jan 1, 2010,” it said.

Full implementation of MyCoID by all five agencies is expected from Jan 1 next year.

MyCoID will replace all other identification numbers required for businesses when dealing with the different government agencies, the secretariat said.

In the initial phase, with the exception of payment, MyCoID can be used by new businesses for all other services from the five agencies, it said. These services, however, are confined to over-the-counter and telephone services. – Bernama

Firefly To Have 7 Flights Weekly For Ipoh-Singapore Route

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 (Bernama) -- Firefly Airlines will further expand its Ipoh-Singapore service by offering daily flights between the two cities from beginning next month.

Currently operating four times weekly, the move will increase the flight frequency between the two cities to seven flights weekly.

"We are confident that these new flights will serve to stimulate more travel and growth prospects between Ipoh and Singapore," Angelina Fernandez, head of marketing and communications for Firefly, said in a statement on Friday.

Firefly is offering an all inclusive one-way ticket for RM88 for the route and the travelling time is about one hour and 20 minutes.

-- BERNAMA

New Low Cost Carrier, Silverfly To Fly Ipoh-Medan Route

IPOH, Aug 21 (Bernama) -- Another new low cost carrier, Silverfly Sdn Bhd with the cooperation of Riau Airlines is expected to make its maiden flight serving the Ipoh-Medan-Ipoh route beginning this September 9.

Datuk Bandar of Ipoh, Datuk Roshidi Hashim in announcing this, said that the air service was a proactive move taken by the state government to bring about benefits and facilities to the people in the state.

"The Silverfly air services will certainly bring a lot of benefits for the people as it involves three flights weekly, namely Monday, Friday and Sunday," he told reporters after officiating the MATTA Perak Travel Fair 2009 here Friday.

He earlier witnessed the signing of a joint flight service agreement between Silverfly and Riau Airlines.

Roshidi said the the flights will also activate the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport here and promote tourism activities between the two countries.

Meanwhile the Regional Manager of Silverfly Sdn Bhd, Eddy Azuan Sidik, said that the flights will cost RM369 for a two-way trip and RM259 for one way travel.

The airline will be using the Fokker-50 which has a 48-passenger capacity, while the flight from Ipoh to Medan has been scheduled at 12.30 pm.

--BERNAMA

In the jitters over radioactive dump - Star

Aug 21, 2009 By CLARA CHOOI

ABOUT 200 families in Buntong, Perak, are crying foul over plans to relocate them to a site near a radioactive waste dump in Lahat.

The squatter families, invol-ving almost 1,000 people, are reluctant to move to the site without an assurance from the state government on their safety, said state assemblyman A. Sivasubramaniam on Wednesday.

The families, he said, were frightened their health could be threatened by dangerous emissions of radioactive gas, and the possible repeat of the 20-year-old controversy involving the Asian Rare Earth factory and the Bukit Merah New Village residents.

During the general election last year, all 200 families, initially from Kampung Chikadee were asked to move, said Sivasubramaniam.

“They received offer letters from the district land office informing them that their new homes would be sited in Pusing.

“We discovered that the site is just about 2km away from the permanent dump to store radioactive materials and thorium hydroxide, a kind of radioactive waste from Asian Rare Earth,” he said in a press conference at Wisma DAP.

In 1979, Asian Rare Earth came under close scrutiny after it was discovered that its operation was releasing radioactive emissions in the area. It was extracting yttrium, which is used in making colour TV tubes, from monazite, and the process created the radioactive thorium hydroxide waste.

The company was decommissioned in the early 1990s after a long-drawn legal battle and countless public protests.

Sivasubramaniam said that during the Pakatan Rakyat government’s tenure, former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin had planned to move the squatters to a 15ha Ipoh City Council land reserve in Buntong itself.

“Since the takeover of the government, there has been no word on the matter from the Barisan Nasional or from Mentri Besar Dr Zambry Abd Kadir,” he said.

He added that a check at the land office last month showed that developers were being identified to build the homes in Pu-sing.

In response, Dr Zambry said the residents had approached him and he had already instructed the land office and the council to solve the matter.

Patriotic spirit flying high in Ipoh - Star

Aug 21, 2009

The Ipoh City Council is leading the way for the coming Merdeka celebrations by directing its staff to fly the Jalur Gemilang on their vehicles. City mayor Datuk Roshidi Hashim said that the council had also affixed the flags on all 1,000 council-owned vehicles

IPOH: The Ipoh City Council is leading the way for the coming Merdeka celebrations by directing its staff to fly the Jalur Gemilang on their vehicles.

City mayor Datuk Roshidi Hashim said that the council had also affixed the flags on all 1,000 council-owned vehicles.

“We have at least 70 lorries and about 150 other vehicles. The rest are our officials’ cars.

“From today, they will all be bearing the Jalur Gemilang on their windscreens,” he said after launching the council’s “Fly the Jalur Gemilang” campaign at its premises here yesterday.

Roshidi added that he had also signed a directive addressed to all 220,000 business premises under the council’s purview to fly the Jalur Gemilang at their premises.

“It is a symbolic act to show that Malaysians still love, respect and remember the efforts of our forefathers,” he added.

He said that flying the flags would help boost the people’s morale and love for the country, thus inspiring them to work harder and contribute more to the nation.

On a separate matter, Roshidi said that he had selected 10 different mosques and surau in the city to hold his usual turun padang (go to the ground) programmes.

“I am doing this for two things – the spirit of Ramadan and also Merdeka,” he said.

The mayor said he would also pay random visits to Ramadan bazaars to ensure hygiene was maintained.