Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is still a diagnosis which is frequently missed even by psychiatric professionals. Each doctor needs to maintain a high level of awareness that patients may have experienced trauma; that PTSD can often occur for a variety of common symptoms; and that it may also be at the root of a persisting treatment-resistant depressive or anxiety state. This case demonstrates that occupational accidents may result in this condition.
The number of women in the workforce in increasing. A substantial proportion are in the reproductive age which brings to attention the problem of work exposures that adversely affect reproductive outcome. These exposures include chemicals, radiation, strenuous physical activity and infections. They affect reproduction by effect on the germ cells, through hormonal distribution which in turn affects transport of germ cells or zygote, implantation and development. Some of these exposures are teratogenic. At present, some regulations and policies seem to be directed at women workers while there is evidence to show that women are not the only victims. Paternal exposures have also been reported to be associated with infertility, spontaneous abortions and other adverse outcomes. There is insufficient information about reproductive effects of work exposures and hence further research is required in this area.
A total of 323 workers from 5 different occupational groups in the telecommunication industry were studied in this cross sectional study, which sought to determine the prevalence of Work Related Upper Limb Disorders (WRULD) in 5 occupational groups; operators using the Video Display Terminals, switchboard operators, clerks, data entry processors and the supervisors. WRULD was also studied with regard to factors such as sex, race, height, age, stress and the discomfort perceived due to the work station design. The possibility of WRULD was determined from a self-administered questionnaire and confirmed by history and physical examination. Psychological stress and the discomfort due to the workstation were measured from the questionnaire. The overall prevalence was found to be 31.2% and the prevalence among the various occupations differed with it being the highest in the switchboard operators and data processors and the lowest in the supervisors. The older workers and the female workers were found to have higher prevalences of WRULD. It was also found that a higher stress score and a higher score of discomfort perceived at the work station were associated with higher prevalences of WRULD.
Between September 1998 and May 1999, 265 cases of encephalitis were reported from among those involved in pig rearing. A few cases were also reported among abattoir workers. This raised questions of the risk of transmission among those who handled raw pork. A serosurvey was conducted among pork sellers in Seremban town, which is about 20 km from one of the pig rearing areas which had reported cases of encephalitis. It was found that out of the 28 pork sellers tested, only one tested positive for Nipah virus antibodies and that this pork seller also worked in an abattoir in the same district, removing the urinary bladders from slaughtered pigs. Based on these findings, it was concluded that the risk of transmission of the virus from handling raw pork appeared to be low.