A serosurvey of rubella antibody among nursing personnel was carried out. 452 blood samples were received from a total staff of 829. 65% was found to be immune by the radial haemolysis method. The highest immune rate was in the intensive care unit followed by maternity, paediatric and gynaecology wards. The lowest rate was in the ophthalmology ward. This study shows that there is lack of compliance among medical personnel and the high immune rate is compatible with the occupational risk of contact with rubella.
Emotional disorders are common human emotional states that include anxiety, depression, social impairment and somatic symptoms. Emotional disorders are common in the community and therefore an important issue in primary care practice. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of emotional disorders among adults at a rural primary care clinic in Malaysia and to identify the associated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Klinik Kesihatan Sungai Mati, Muar, Johor from 1st November to 31st December 1998. A self-administered 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) was used to screen for emotional disorders. Out of 414 patients seen during the study period, 368 fulfilled the selection criteria and agreed to participate in the study (response rate 88.9%). The prevalence of emotional disorders among the adult patients in this study was 15.2%. Factors such as age, race, gender, marital status, education level and employment were analyzed for association with emotional disorders. However, none of these factors were found to be significantly associated with emotional disorders in this study.
Mass vaccination of all newborns against hepatitis B virus infection has been implemented in Malaysia since January 1989. The significance of perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus and the prevention of the disease are discussed. Routine screening of 6443 mothers in the University Hospital showed an overall carrier rate of 1.9%; whilst this was high amongst the Chinese (4.7%), a significant number of Malays were also infected (1.6%). The mechanism of perinatal transmission of hepatitis B and the important role of routine screening of antenatal mothers in eradicating the disease are discussed.
471 ovarian tumours were available for study from 1980 to 1987. Epidemiological breakdown by race, age and the histological type of the tumours was obtained. The diagnosis of the individual tumours was based on the World Health Organisation (WHO) histological classification of ovarian tumours. There were 324 (68.8%) benigh and 147 (31.2%) malignant tumours. 253 (53.7%) of the tumours were seen in the Malays. The third decade was the peak age for the benigh tumours, and for the malignant tumours, the fourth and fifth decades. 138 (42.6%) of the benign ovarian tumours were cystic teratomas and 45 (30.6%) of the malignant tumours were cystadenocarcinoma.