In sickness and in health

In sickness and in health

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
In sickness and in health

The good and bad of healthcare in 2014

Ebola outbreak

The latest figures by the World Health Organization (WHO) state that 6,388 people have died since the outbreak started in March. Although there is no cure for Ebola, several experimental drugs have been deployed in the battle against the epidemic.

The WHO says there have been 17,942 confirmed, probable and suspected cases of the Ebola virus disease (EVD), reported in five countries (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone and the US) and three previously affected countries (Nigeria, Senegal and Spain). 

Thailand has been rather fortunate to not have had a single case, despite a few suspected cases in the Kingdom that were later dismissed.

While the Department of Disease Control played down the threat of an Ebola outbreak in Thailand, and experience in managing infectious diseases outbreaks in the past has prepared the country to cope with any emergencies, there is no room for complacency.

National carrier Thai Airways International's preventive measures include everything from observing and screening of passengers on the ground during check-in and before boarding the aircraft; increased inspection of goods transported in cargo and avoiding items deemed to be of risk, to maintaining and ensuring the cleanliness, selection and preparation of foods so there is no risk of being a carrier of the virus. 

News that researchers from Mahidol University's Siriraj Hospital had developed the world's first Ebola anti-body treatment in October was greeted with much anticipation. The anti-body has been described as a significant step towards a cure for the disease.

Researchers claim Siriraj's anti-body — developed with the use of human genes, not the Ebola virus itself — is tiny enough to enter infected cells and access virus proteins within them. Thailand does not possess a Biosafety Level 4 facility required to perform tests on the Ebola virus, but in the near future we hope that this will be made possible.

ALS sparks the Ice Bucket Challenge

Thailand was not spared the Ice Bucket Challenge, also referred to as the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, that gripped the four corners of the Earth with utter surprise this year. Thais were quick to join in the fray and the public enjoyed watching the Who's Who in the country take up the challenge. 

The activity involved dumping a bucket of ice water on someone's head to promote awareness of the disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and encourage donations to research. It went viral on social media.

In the US, people donated to the ALS Association, and in the UK, the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Others have opted to donate their money from the Ice Bucket Challenge to other charities and organisations.

It is believed the challenge was started by Chris Kennedy, a golfer in Sarasota, Florida, who was nominated by a friend to compete in the Ice Bucket Challenge, which at the time had nothing to do with ALS. The campaign was not tied to any specific charity back then and participants were free to select a charity of their choice for donations. Kennedy's friend had selected a charity that supported a young child with cancer. Kennedy, passing the challenge along, then selected ALS because a relative was suffering from the disease.

Kennedy nominated his wife's cousin Jeanette, whose husband Anthony is the one suffering from ALS. Kennedy posted that particular video on social media in July — what appears to be the first time in which the Ice Bucket Challenge and ALS were linked.

As a disease, ALS is actually quite rare. And when the Ice Bucket Challenge became a social media craze, experts from the Prasat Neurological Institute under the Ministry of Public Health's Department of Medical Services gave a word of warning that soaking oneself with ice water is likely to cause pneumonia, especially among those with chronic diseases like asthma, high blood pressure or heart-related symptoms. 

A rare death from hand, foot, mouth disease

Death is very uncommon when it comes to hand, foot, mouth disease (HFMD). But a three-year-old girl from Klong Toey in Bangkok reportedly died of the infection early this year. Given the low likelihood of HFMD-related death, this case stirred considerable concern among parents and teachers alike.

Laboratory tests confirmed the girl was infected with enterovirus 71 (EV71), one of the most common causes of HFMD. The school where she was studying was closed for six days, while monitoring of the other 200 schoolchildren's conditions was implemented. Various parts of the school including classrooms, toilets, toys and equipment suspected to be exposed to the virus were also sanitised to prevent further spreading.

HFMD is actually not a new disease, but each time news about an outbreak emerges, schools and parents are sent into a worried frenzy as it usually affects small children up to three years old. One of the biggest HFMD outbreaks in Thai history was in 2010. At that time, dozens of kindergartens and schools were forced to shut down temporarily in order to disinfect the facilities.

Figures from the Bureau of Epidemiology, Ministry of Public Health, revealed that from Jan 1 to Sept 15, over 52,000 cases of HFMD were found in Thailand. Only one death, however, was reported.  

The harmful side of health products

Thailand's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) outlawed 34 brands of illegal health products and dietary supplements. All the product names were posted on the FDA website.

These illegal goods were categorised into several different groups with different claimed functions. Some claimed to boost libido while many were advertised to contain weight-loss features. Also included in the FDA's list were products to whiten the skin and to enlarge the breasts.

The FDA's warning was made public in the hope that consumers would not fall prey to unauthorised health-related goods, many of which can potentially be detrimental to one's well-being — or even fatal.

Some of the products in the list were sexual potency supplements called Bullgold (claimed to be imported from India) and Platinum Active (also imported from India). Weight-loss products included Slimming Diet, Pretty Secret Herb Diet Slim, Slimming Diet Coffee Plus, Slim Express, Slim Perfect Legs, to name but a few.

Non-invasive vaginal repair became a big hit

At this year's National Herb Expo held between Sept 3-7 at Impact Muang Thong Thani, the highlight was a vaginal fix herb, locally referred to as hee yum grass. Also known as vaginal repair grass, the herb is said to help restore vaginal muscle tissue and tightness, according to a pharmacist from Chao Phya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital, which organised the event.

The scientific name of the plant is Centotheca lappacea, a genus in the Poaceae family. The grass has a silica content, which helps the skin become more firm and elastic.

To use hee yum grass, a woman is required to sit on a chair over a fire giving off smoke from the medicinal herb. The grass is claimed to help reduce prolapse of the uterus.

Hee yum grass became widely available in the market in form of capsules at 350 baht a bottle. However, the Department of Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine was quick to announce that the grass had not yet been processed and made available in other forms. Also the efficacy as well as toxicity of the grass was still being researched and may take a year to complete. The department asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consider if hee yum capsules should be registered.

The pain of painkiller

Suddenly Thailand's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised its concerns over paracetamol dosage among Thais despite the fact that the medicine has been considered a very common household drug and is used by people of all ages for as long as we can remember. This time, the FDA's focus was not just on consumers but also medical practitioners alike.

The FDA's worry was in part triggered by several reported cases of paracetamol toxicity — a consequence of unintentional drug overdose where ignorance about dosage is mainly to blame.

Previously consumers have been told and made to believe that two tablets of paracetamol every four hours can be an effective cure for pain. But the truth is there is actually no fixed dosage when it comes to paracetamol use and the right dose should actually be worked out by using a person's body weight.

The FDA is therefore considering fixing medicine labels. Combination drugs with paracetamol components must state clearly it contains paracetamol to avoid consuming the same medicine from several sources. Also, other names such as acetaminophen should not be used on product labels to avoid confusion.

The FDA will also encourage Thai consumers to take the 325mg version of paracetamol instead of 500mg to avoid over consumption.

Booze is man's best friend?

Shocking statistics were released with regard to Thais' drinking habits. Thailand is the 78th largest alcohol-consuming country in the world, according to the WHO. On average, each person drinks 7.1 litres of alcohol per year and the habit among women is found to be on the rise.

Also speaking from a financial point of view, each Thai spends an average of 509 baht per month on alcoholic drinks or approximately 6,100 baht a year, also according to the WHO. Several factors are to blame including stress and pressure from work and study.

What's more worrying is the fact that a good number of people feel like drinking because they see promotional campaigns especially from online social media. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities also plays a part in enticing more people to drink.

On a larger scale, there are approximately 3.3 million people around the globe who die of alcohol-related symptoms annually.

Each year in Thailand, there are approximately 250,000 new drinkers, the majority of which are youths. And if the drinking habit among Thais is not properly handled and controlled, it is predicted that in the next five years Thailand will be ranked 56th in the world when it comes to countries with the largest alcohol consumption.

Banning e-cigarettes, e-baraku

Electronic cigarettes and baraku (shisha) were banned in mid-October due largely to health reasons.

The Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, said the vapour created by these devices is alleged to contain organic compounds and metals harmful to human health. They requested the Department of Foreign Trade to seek measures to curb the import of the so-called prohibited items after they appeared for sale on the internet and at flea markets.

Thailand's anti-smoking movement supported the ban, stating that it caused health and economic problems for the public. They further added that research showed mixed benefits of e-cigarettes, and the possibility of some giant cigarette manufacturers producing the e-cigarettes to fulfil their dream to create a new addictive product.

Research in Britain found that smokers were approximately 60% more likely to curb their smoking addiction if they used e-cigarettes. Yet other studies say those who switched to e-cigarettes were less likely or no more likely to quit than if they used a patch or gum. 

Salty water takes Bangkokians off guard

 

Bangkok residents were taken off guard when their filtered water began to taste brackish early this year. 

The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) blamed this on an unusually early intrusion of seawater into their pumping stations, which jeopardised the production of tap water in urban neighbourhoods.

In an effort to explain the discrepancy, the MWA said salt water customarily reaches their Sam Lae pumping station in the Muang district of Pathum Thani — the station that feeds fresh water to the MWA's tap water production facility in the eastern part of Bangkok — from April to May. The glitch often rectifies itself in the rainy season, which normally commences in May or June. However, this year the dry season started early and  lasted for a longer period than anticipated. Salt water has been evident in the pumping station since early February. Officials said the presence of seawater would eventually be resolved once the rainy season arrived. During the waiting period, consumers were recommended to use FDA-approved bottled drinking water. 

The MWA played down any fears of worry by saying that if consumers did not mind the peculiar taste, to just do what they normally do, because when it came to tap water's hygienic standard, it is pretty much the same. Caution was sent out to anyone who suffered from chronic diseases such as kidney- or thyroid-related aliments, saying that it was advisable that they be more careful and stick to drinking bottled water.  

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when the rainy season finally rolled in.

Surrogacy in the limelight

Thailand’s surrogacy industry was put under media scrutiny when the case of baby Gammy, allegedly abandoned by his Australian parents because he suffered from Down’s syndrome and other physical aliments, was made public in August. 

As the case unfolded, we were told that Pattaramon Chanbua, Gammy’s Thai surrogate mother, pointing fingers at Australians David and Wendy Farnell for having left her with the boy, who also suffers from a congenital heart condition and a lung infection, and taking his twin sister home. 

Anger over Thailand’s surrogacy practices were furthered exacerbated when news of a Japanese man, found to have allegedly fathered up to 21 babies, hit the news. Businessman Mitsutoki Shigeta came under investigation after Thai authorities found nine babies, between the ages of two weeks to two years, living with seven nannies and a seven-month pregnant woman in a condo in Lat Phrao. Both cases prompted law makers to work towards establishing laws that would safeguard the interest of the baby and mother and take legal action against commercial surrogacy.

Thailand’s Medical Council has also prohibited Thai physicians from providing or assisting with commercial surrogacy services and banned surrogacy advertisements. Previous Medical Council regulations did ban the use of paid surrogates and required a surrogate to be either a blood relative or an in-law of the couple seeking help.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT