Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 45 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli diarrhoea in Malaysian children
    Jegathesan M, Singh RB, Kanaganayagy M, Soon LE
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1975 Mar;6(1):61-7.
    PMID: 1096307
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology
  2. Emergence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus as an important cause of diarrhea in Malaysia
    Jegathesan M, Paramasivam T
    Am J Trop Med Hyg, 1976 Jan;25(1):201-2.
    PMID: 943960
    Vibrio parahaemolyticus was isolated from 47 of 2,699 stools examined primarily for the exclusion of cholera. All strains grew well in alkaline peptone water containing 0.5% NaCl and in Monsur's medium. Serotyping showed them to be of various types. Adults were mainly affected. The importance of looking for V. parahaemolyticus in clinical specimens from cases of diarrhea is emphasized.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology
  3. Diarrhoeal problems in Southeast Asia
    Sunoto
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1982 Sep;13(3):306-18.
    PMID: 7163834
    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.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology*
  4. Diarrhoeal diseases in rural Malaysia: risk factors in young children
    Lye MS
    Ann Acad Med Singap, 1984 Apr;13(2):156-62.
    PMID: 6497315
    A survey was conducted in six selected rural villages to obtain baseline data on socioeconomic status, nutrition, environmental sanitation and behavioural aspects in relation to diarrhoeal diseases, using a standard questionnaire. Subsequent to this, children 0-4 years of age were followed weekly for six months for diarrhoeal disease. Eleven variables representing socioeconomic status, nutritional status, housing condition, environmental sanitation, mother's knowledge and beliefs were investigated using stepwise logistic regression to determine significant predictors of diarrhoeal disease. Children who were below two years of age, living in conditions of poor sanitation and poor quality water supply, whose houses were prone to flooding and who had mothers whose sanitary habits were not influenced by their religious beliefs, were at significantly greater risk of diarrhoeal disease.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology*
  5. An update on diarrhoeal diseases in Malaysia
    Ismail A
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1988 Sep;19(3):397-400.
    PMID: 3217821
    Analysis of diarrhoeal disease patterns in Malaysia from 1981-1986 suggested that infectious hepatitis ranked as the most predominant diarrhoeal disease followed by typhoid, food poisoning, dysentery and cholera. Although these five major food and water-borne diseases are still endemic in this country, diarrhoeal diseases per se no longer become an important public health problem in Malaysia. Enforcement of the cholera control program brought the incidence of the disease to a minimal. Unfortunately, this fatal form of diarrhoeal disease caused the greatest mortality compared to the others. Seasonal influence also played a part in controlling the occurrence of the disease. There was a preponderance of diarrhoeal diseases during the rainy season implicating contaminated water as a source of transmission. Although greater than half of the population has been supplied with piped water and sanitary latrines, a lot more has to be done before diarrhoeal diseases could be eliminated from this country.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology*
  6. Paediatric gastroenteritis in the eastern Malaysian state of Sarawak: an epidemiological and clinical study
    Barker RA, Maxwell PH, Hong CP, Cordery MC, Chrystie IL
    Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg, 1988;82(6):898-901.
    PMID: 2855768
    Over a period of 2 months, 35 of 69 (51%) cases of juvenile diarrhoea studied in eastern Malaysia were associated with rotavirus excretion; rotavirus associated diarrhoea occurred most commonly in the 6-24 month age group. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of genome ribonucleic acid showed that only 4 rotavirus electropherotypes could be detected. Of those, 2 predominated and 2 were detected only once each; one of these may have been a reassortment of the two predominant electropherotypes. Analysis of the clinical features of patients excreting rotavirus subgroup 1 or 2, determined by PAGE, demonstrated that rotavirus subgroup 1 was associated with more hypotonic dehydration and need for intravenous therapy: lethargy was significantly more common among those excreting rotavirus subgroup 2.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology*
  7. Relationship between water quality and human health: a case study of the Linggi River Basin in Malaysia
    Lonergan S, Vansickle T
    Soc Sci Med, 1991;33(8):937-46.
    PMID: 1745918
    Due to the increasingly documented prevalence of diarrhoeal diseases in Malaysia, a number of water-related programmes have been implemented in an attempt to improve health status through the reduction of incidence of waterborne communicable diseases associated with poor public water supplies. The implicit assumption underlying these projects is that the enhancement of the physical infrastructure, and subsequent improvements in the quality of the water supply, will substantially reduce water-related disease. The present study questions this hypothesis and uses a socio-ecological model as a framework to assess risk factors associated with the increased probability of waterborne disease. Research is centred on Port Dickson, a district which typifies existing water and sanitation conditions in much of semi-rural Malaysia. Health services utilization data and a 268-household diarrhoeal morbidity survey were used to measure the burden of illness of waterborne disease within the district and to identify predictors of morbidity. It was concluded that although treatment facilities will reduce the health burden in the region, a number of behavioural and sanitation factors may be more important and could act to minimize the potential impacts of improved water quality.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology*
  8. Risk factors for the transmission of diarrhoea in children: a case-control study in rural Malaysia
    Knight SM, Toodayan W, Caique WC, Kyi W, Barnes A, Desmarchelier P
    Int J Epidemiol, 1992 Aug;21(4):812-8.
    PMID: 1521988
    In response to a recorded increasing incidence of diarrhoea in Tumpat District, Malaysia, a case-control study was performed to identify modifiable risk factors for the transmission of diarrhoea, in children aged 4-59 months. Ninety-eight pairs of children, matched on age and sex, were recruited prospectively from health centres. Exposure status was determined during a home visit. Interviewers were 'blinded' as to the disease status of each child. Odds ratios were measured through matched pair analysis and conditional logistic regression. Risk factors for diarrhoea identified were: reported--drinking of unboiled water, storage of cooked food before consumption and bottle feeding; and observations--animals inside the house and absence of washing water in latrines. Water quality, source of drinking water, reported hand washing behaviour, indiscriminate defecation by children, cup use and the absence of a functional latrine were not associated with diarrhoea. Nonsignificant associations were found for: accessibility of washing water source, type of water storage container and use of fly covers for food.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology*
  9. Fulltext A one year community-based study on the incidence of diarrhoea and rotavirus infection in urban and suburban Malaysian children
    Yap KL, Yasmin AM, Wong YH, Ooi YE, Tan SC, Jegathesan M, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 1992 Dec;47(4):303-8.
    PMID: 1303484
    A 1 year longitudinal study of 156 Malaysian children from urban and suburban areas in the Klang Valley revealed that the incidence rate of diarrhoea was 23.6 per 100 person-year with abnormal faeces reported on 0.26% of the total days of observation. Diarrhoea cases were detected in children from all socioeconomic classes. Rotavirus was isolated from 12% of the diarrheic children and asymptomatic rotavirus infection occurred in 3.2% of the children. All rotaviruses isolated were group A rotaviruses with long electrophoretypic pattern.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology*
  10. Identification of a human group C rotavirus in Malaysia
    Rasool NB, Hamzah M, Jegathesan M, Wong YH, Qian Y, Green KY
    J Med Virol, 1994 Jul;43(3):209-11.
    PMID: 7931180
    Stool specimens from 334 infants and young children hospitalized with diarrhea in the General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between August and November, 1987 were analyzed for the presence of rotavirus double-stranded (ds) RNA by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Of the 334 specimens analyzed, 32 (9.6%) were positive for rotavirus RNA. One specimen (designated G147) exhibited a ds RNA electropherotype profile characteristic of Group C rotavirus and was selected for further characterization. In Northern blot hybridization studies, the gene 5 segment of strain G147 hybridized with a cDNA probe generated from the cloned gene 5 (which encodes the VP6 inner capsid protein that is group specific) of porcine Group C rotavirus strain Cowden, confirming the classification of strain G147 in Group C. The association of Group C rotavirus with diarrheal illness in Malaysia is consistent with earlier studies that suggest a global distribution of this virus and supports the need for additional epidemiologic studies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology
  11. Gastrointestinal infections in children in the Southeast Asia region: emerging issues
    Lee WS
    J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr, 2000 Mar;30(3):241-5.
    PMID: 10749405
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology
  12. Prevalence of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in finns with or without diarrhea during a round-the-world trip
    Keskimäki M, Mattila L, Peltola H, Siitonen A
    J Clin Microbiol, 2000 Dec;38(12):4425-9.
    PMID: 11101575
    The incidence of diarrhea and the prevalence of bacterial enteropathogens, viruses, and parasites in feces of subjects with and without diarrhea were evaluated in 204 Finns traveling round the world (from Finland to China, Malaysia, Australia, Fiji, Chile, and Brazil and back to Finland). Special emphasis was placed on the finding of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (enterotoxigenic, enteropathogenic, Shiga toxin-producing, and enteroaggregative strains) by PCR from growth on primary culture plates. From the PCR-positive samples, corresponding strains were isolated, confirmed as E. coli, and O serotyped. Of all the subjects, 37% experienced a total of 90 episodes of diarrhea. No adenoviruses or rotaviruses were detected, and findings of parasites were insignificant. In contrast, enteropathogenic bacteria were present in 62% of the 65 diarrheal and in 33% of the 127 nondiarrheal samples (P < 0.001); diarrheagenic E. coli strains were found in 35 and 26% of these, respectively (not statistically significant). As a single pathogen, E. coli was found in 20 and 24% of samples (not significant). Of all diarrheagenic E. coli strains, enteropathogenic strains were the most commonly found independently of the clinical picture of the subjects, whereas Salmonella enterica as a single pathogen was the most common non-E. coli organism found in diarrheal samples. Multiple bacterial pathogens were found 10 times more commonly in diarrheal than in nondiarrheal samples (20 versus 2%; P < 0.001).
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology*
  13. Fulltext Trichuris Dysentery Syndrome: evidence that it may be underdiagnosed in Kelantan
    Noorizan AM, Mahendra Raj S
    Med J Malaysia, 2001 Mar;56(1):53-7.
    PMID: 11503297
    The prevalence rate of trichuriasis in children in certain areas of Kelantan is high. However the Trichuris Dysentery Syndrome (TDS), a condition in children characterized by chronic diarrhoea, stunting and anaemia is said to be rare. A recent change in policy at our institution to lower the threshold for undertaking colonoscopy in children with chronic diarrhoea resulted in the detection of 6 cases of TDS in less than a year. The median age was 7 years (range 3-13) and the median duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 2 years (range 1-8). The insidious nature of TDS and the low level of awareness of this condition even among health care workers may result in considerable underdiagnosis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology*
  14. Hospitalization of childhood rotavirus infection from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    Lee WS, Veerasingam PD, Goh AY, Chua KB
    J Paediatr Child Health, 2003 9 13;39(7):518-22.
    PMID: 12969206
    AIM: To determine the epidemiology of rotavirus gastroenteritis in children admitted to an urban hospital in a developing country from South-East Asia.

    METHODS: Retrospective review of cases of acute gastroenteritis admitted to the children's ward of the University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, between 1996 and 1999.

    RESULTS: During the study period, 333 cases (24%) of 1362 stool samples, obtained from children admitted with acute diarrhoea, were positive for rotavirus. Acute gastroenteritis constituted 8.2%, and rotavirus infection 1.6% of all the paediatric admissions each year. Of the 271 cases analysed, 72% of the affected population were less than 2 years of age. Peak incidence of admissions was between January to March, and September to October. Dehydration was common (92%) but electrolyte disturbances, lactose intolerance (5.2%), prolonged diarrhoea (2.6%) and cow's milk protein intolerance was uncommon. No deaths were recorded.

    CONCLUSIONS: Rotavirus infection was a common cause of childhood diarrhoea that required hospital admission in an urban setting in Malaysia.

    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology
  15. Prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome in young adult Malaysians: a survey among medical students
    Tan YM, Goh KL, Muhidayah R, Ooi CL, Salem O
    J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2003 Dec;18(12):1412-6.
    PMID: 14675271 DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-1746.2003.03212.x
    BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional bowel disease in the West. Information on the prevalence of IBS in the Asian population is relatively scanty. The aims of the present study were to determine the prevalence of IBS and to assess the symptom subgroups based on the predominant bowel habit in a young adult population of Asian origin.

    METHODS: Basic demographic data and symptoms of IBS using the Rome I criteria were sought using a questionnaire administered to all apparently healthy students in a medical school. Other questions asked related to alcohol intake, smoking, chili consumption, dietary fiber intake, and to psychological and psychosomatic symptoms of anxiety, depression, insomnia, headache, and backache. The health-care seeking behavior of the subjects was also analyzed.

    RESULTS: Of the 610 questionnaires administered, 533 complete responses were received (response rate of 87.4%). The responders comprised 229 men (43.0%) and 304 (57.0%) women with a mean age of 22 +/- 1.8 years. The ethnic distribution was Malays 278 (52.2%), Chinese 179 (33.6%), Indians 46 (8.6%), and others 30 (5.6%). Eighty-four (15.8%) reported symptoms consistent with the diagnosis of IBS, predominantly women. Sixty-five (77.4%) and six (7.1%) were of the constipation-predominant and diarrhea-predominant IBS subgroups, respectively. Thirteen (15.5%) subjects fell into the non-specific IBS subgroup. The self-reported psychological and psychosomatic symptoms of anxiety (P = 0.02), depression (P = 0.002), insomnia (P = 0.006), headache (P = 0.04), and backache (P = 0.006) were encountered more frequently in the subjects with IBS. Only 13.1% of the IBS group had consulted their health-care practitioner, and 20.2% reported self-medication.

    CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms supportive of the diagnosis of IBS were common among young Malaysians, with a prevalence rate of 15.8%. There were significantly more women with IBS than men. Within the IBS population, the majority (77.4%) was of the constipation-predominant IBS subgroup. A significantly higher prevalence of psychological and psychosomatic symptoms was found in individuals with IBS. Only a minority sought medical advice for their symptoms.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology
  16. Fulltext Estimates of the burden of rotavirus disease in Malaysia
    Hsu VP, Abdul Rahman HB, Wong SL, Ibrahim LH, Yusoff AF, Chan LG, et al.
    J Infect Dis, 2005 Sep 1;192 Suppl 1:S80-6.
    PMID: 16088810
    BACKGROUND: Accurate national estimates of the disease burden associated with rotavirus diarrhea are essential when considering implementation of a rotavirus vaccination program. We sought to estimate rotavirus disease-associated morbidity and mortality in Malaysia, using available sources of information.
    METHODS: We analyzed national data from the Ministry of Health (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) to derive rates of hospitalization, clinic visits, and deaths related to acute gastroenteritis (AG) among children <5 years of age. The number of events attributable to rotavirus infection was estimated by multiplying age-stratified rates of detection of rotavirus from 2 hospital surveillance sites by national data.
    RESULTS: In 1999 and 2000, an average of 13,936 children (1 in 187 children) were hospitalized annually for AG. Surveillance of visits to outpatient clinics for AG identified an average of 60,342 such visits/year between 1998 and 2000. The AG-associated mortality rate was 2.5 deaths/100,000 children. On the basis of the finding that 50% of children were hospitalized for rotavirus diarrhea, we estimated that 1 in 61 children will be hospitalized for rotavirus disease and that 1 in 37 children will seek treatment as an outpatient.
    CONCLUSIONS: Among Malaysian children, there is a significant burden associated with AG- and rotavirus disease-related hospitalizations and outpatient visits, and this burden potentially could be prevented by the use of rotavirus vaccines.
    Data source: (1) hospital discharges, (2) clinic visits for AG, and (3) registration of deaths, together with (4) new data from hospital-based rotavirus surveillance studies
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology
  17. Rotavirus and other enteropathogens in childhood acute diarrhoea: a study of two centres in Malaysia
    Lee WS, Rajasekaran G, Pee S, Karunakaran R, Hassan HH, Puthucheary SD
    J Paediatr Child Health, 2006 Sep;42(9):509-14.
    PMID: 16925536
    To study the role of rotavirus in children hospitalised for acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in two urban hospitals in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology
  18. Epidemiology and strain characterization of rotavirus diarrhea in Malaysia
    Hung LC, Wong SL, Chan LG, Rosli R, Ng AN, Bresee JS
    Int J Infect Dis, 2006 Nov;10(6):470-4.
    PMID: 17046306
    The objectives of the study were to describe the epidemiology and strain characterization of rotavirus (RV), to determine the proportion of hospitalizations for diarrhea attributable to RV among children under 5 years of age, and to estimate the disease burden of RV diarrhea in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology*
  19. Prevalence of Giardia lamblia with or without diarrhea in South East, South East Asia and the Far East
    Dib HH, Lu SQ, Wen SF
    Parasitol Res, 2008 Jul;103(2):239-51.
    PMID: 18425689 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-008-0968-6
    This article is a review of the latest information on the prevalence of G. lamblia in South Asia, South East Asia and Far East, characterizing the current endemic situation within these regions. Around 33 published papers from 2002-2007 were collected on G. lamblia. The included countries were Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Republic of Korea, and China. Only five published papers were discarded because data was extracted before 2002-2007 or they are not included within our regions, emphasizing more on G. lamblia in animals, or performed at extensive molecular level. The prevalence of G. lamblia varied markedly between studies illustrating higher levels in the urban than in the rural areas, more among poor communities, slightly higher in males than in females with age range of 2-5-year-old children, and among university students, old-aged people, HIV-positive patients, and gastric carcinoma patients. Though G. lamblia is not a life-threatening parasite, nevertheless, it is still considered as the most common water-borne diarrhea-causing disease. It is important to understand the etiology, frequency, and consequences of acute diarrhea in children. Routine surveillance such as bi-annual follow-up treatments, treating G. duodenalis cysts and other protozoa oocysts detected in ground water sources, and continuous health education are the most preventive measures.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology*
  20. Fulltext Molecular characterization and epidemiology of rotavirus isolates obtained from children with diarrhoea in Malaysia
    Zuridah H, Kirkwood CD, Bishop RF, Bogdanovic-Sakran N, Yap KL
    Med J Malaysia, 2009 Sep;64(3):193-6.
    PMID: 20527266 MyJurnal
    This retrospective study examined the G/P type of rotavirus in RNA samples that have previously been e-typed by RNA-PAGE in 1996. The results were then compared to 2007 samples to ascertain the extent of changes that may have occurred in this 11-years time interval. The G and P genotypes were determined by hemi-nested PCR and further analysed by phylogenetic study. In 1996, the G/P combination G1P[8], G(UT)P[8] and G1P(UT) prevalence rate were 81%, 9% and 7%, respectively. As expected, the G9 genotype which has already emerged worldwide was identified in 42% of the 2007 samples with the remaining 33% G1P[8] and 25% G1P(UT) Analysis of the RNA pattern showed that majority of the isolates were long e-type in both series, nevertheless minor differences within electropherotypes were observed. Genetic diversity in some strains of the human group A rotaviruses was analysed by phylogenetic methods. These findings will help in the decision to introduce rotavirus vaccines within the next decade.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diarrhea/epidemiology*
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links