The dynamics of the transmission of subperiodic Brugia malayi in a typical endemic area in Malaysia was studied over a period of 4 years. Mass chemotherapeutic control with diethylcarbamazine citrate was found to be inefficient, new cases being detected even after the fifth treatment cycle of 6 mg/kg X 6 days per cycle. This is in marked contrast to the situation in periodic b. malayi areas where mass treatment efficiently controlled the infection. The disparity in results in these two areas is attributed to zoonotic transmission of subperiodic B. malayi from non-human primates where a mean infection rate of 76.3% was found.
Three consecutive cases of lacrimal gland carcinoma seen at the University Hospital during a twelve-year period are presented. One case was unusual, presenting at the age of sixteen years and developing metastases to the lungs. Adenoid cystic carcinoma is the commonest type of lacrimal malignancy and its clinico-pathological features and surgical management are discussed.
Malaria is a major public health problem in Malaysia, particularly in peninsular Malaysia and the state of Sabah. An eradication program started in the states of Sabah and Sarawak in 1961 initially was remarkably successful. A similar but staged program was started in peninsular Malaysia in 1967 and was also quite successful. However, a marked upsurge in incidence in Sabah in 1975-1978 showed that malaria is still a major hazard. The disease leads to great economic losses in terms of the productivity of the labor force and the learning capacity of schoolchildren. The topography, the climate, and the migrations of the people due to increased economic activity are similar in peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak. However, the epidemiologic picture differs strikingly from area to area in terms of species of vectors, distribution of parasitic species, and resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to chloroquine. Likewise, the problems faced by the eradication or control programs in the three regions are dissimilar. Because solutions to only some of these problems are possible, the eradication of malaria in Malaysia is not likely in the near future. However, the situation offers an excellent opportunity for further studies of antimalaria measures.
Forty-two previously untreated male patients with uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis were treated with a single dose oral regimen comprising 3 gm ofamoxycillin and 125 mg of clavulanic acid. Thirty-five patients returned for follow-up and the cure rate among them was 89 percent. The cure rate for patients infected with penicillinase producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) was 73 percent. Further work is required to establish the optimum dosage for this particular regimen.
Study site: Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) clinic at the Faculty of Medicine,
Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PPUKM)
Fifty-six living related renal transplants were performed between December 1975 and December 1980. All except eight of the recipients were male. The mean age was 29.5 years. Patient and graft survival were 86 percent and 73 percent at 1 year and 83 percent and 68 percent at 2 years respectively. Infection was the main cause of death and acute and chronic rejection were the main causes of graft failure. The donors were aged between 18 and 72 years old. There were 21 parent and 35 sibling donors. Donor nephrectomies were performed without mortality and our experience so far with the transplantation of kidneys from elderly donors has been encouraging.
A 38 year old patient unth. chronic granulocytes leukaemia, subsequently presented untli blast transformation. nineteen. months later. Conventional light microscopy and cytochemistry were not helpful in elucidating the type of blast cell. Electron microscopy however identifies the blasts to be of megakaryocytic series.
Diarrhoea up till now is still a major problem in Southeast Asia with high morbidity and mortality, particularly among children under 5 years of age, with the peak in children between 6 - 24 months. In Indonesia, in 1981, it was estimated that there are 60 million episodes with 300,000 - 500,000 deaths. In the Philippines, diarrhoea ranks as a second cause of morbidity (600 per 100,000 in 1974) and second cause of infant mortality (5 per 1,000 in 1974). In Thailand, in 1980, the morbidity rate was 524 per 100,000 and the mortality rate 14 per 100,000. In Malaysia, in 1976, diarrhoea was still ranking number 5 (3.1%) as a cause of total admission and number 9 (2.2%) as a cause of total deaths. In Singapore, diarrhoea still ranks number 3 as a cause of deaths (4% of total deaths). In Bangladesh, the overall attack rates imply a prevalence of 2.0% for the entire population, with the highest for under 5 groups i.e. 4.1%. The diarrhoea episode in rural population is 85.4%, 39% of them are children under 5. The most common enteropathogens found in all countries are rotavirus followed by Enterotoxigenic E. coli, Vibrio spp., Salmonella spp., Shigella spp. and Campylobacter. Malnutrition and decline of giving breast-feeding play an important role in causing high morbidity, besides socio-economic, socio-cultural and poor environmental sanitation.
Even though Malaysia is a relatively prosperous country amongst the developing nations, it is still be set by problems of a rapidly increasing population. The economic cake is also unevenly distributed and there are pockets of poverty in the slums surrounding the towns as well as in the rural areas. Added to that is the problem of ignorance and superstition especially amongst its adult population. It is due to these problems that the Child-to-Child programme has found special application in Malaysia. The Child-to-Child has been introduced through either the government agencies or the voluntary organizations. Through the Ministry of Education, the concept has found its ways through the schools and the state department of education. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has also introduced the concept of Child-to-Child in the media. The voluntary organizations have also introduced the concept of Child-to-Child in their projects. The Sang Kancil project has to some extent used the idea in the running of its activities. The Health and Nutrition Education House have found that by applying the concept and using older children to help in running its activities, its over all objective which is the improvement of the health of the children in the slums could be reached more easily.
MeSH terms: Child; Child Health Services*; Community Health Workers*; Female; Health Education; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Primary Health Care*; Sibling Relations; Voluntary Health Agencies; Nutritional Sciences/education
A total of 73 localities covering 4,894 premises and 26, 712 breeding habitats were surveyed in 1980 to determine and establish the density and distribution pattern of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in Sarawak. A similar pattern has been observed in the density of the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The number of houses positive with Aedes larvae were found to be highest in the coastal areas followed by the inland rural areas. The Aedes aegypti Breteau Index (B.I.) of 0-525 in the coastal areas is the highest followed by 0-207.5 in the inland rural areas. The study undertaken has now revealed that both the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are widespread in the State.
MeSH terms: Aedes*; Animals; Insect Vectors*; Malaysia; Population Density