Ms Christina Lau was kind enough to step forward and share the importance albeit being typically candid, of having sufficient, appropriate coverage and in this aspect, Critical Illness!
Business Times - 26 Apr 2008
By MELISSA HENG
FOUR out of every five women in Singapore are being stalked by a potentially dangerous killer throughout their life - and more than half of them don’t have the faintest clue.
‘In the course of a lifetime, about 80 per cent of women here will have been infected by at least one type of the human papillomavirus (HPV),’ says Tay Sun Kuie, associate professor, and senior consultant in the obstetrical & gynaecological department at Singapore General Hospital.
There are more than 100 types of HPV. But two strains - HPV 16 and 18 - are particularly sinister as they are hugely responsible for causing cervical cancer, the second-most common cancer worldwide among women over the age of 15.
But here’s the really scary news. While doctors here have red-flagged HPV for years, a recent nationwide survey showed that up to 75 per cent of women have no idea what HPV is, let alone the damage it can do.
What’s more, of those who have heard of HPV, many do not realise how common the virus is, and the great majority feel they are unlikely to be infected.
This lack of understanding can serious implications, especially since cervical cancer has no symptoms to speak of. ‘It is a silent killer that causes at least two deaths every week,’ warns Prof Tay.
Results from the first large-scale survey on Singapore women’s knowledge of and attitudes towards the HPV showed a worrying lack of awareness about the common virus, which spreads through skin contact.
The study, which was endorsed by the Obstetrical & Gynaecological Society of Singapore and the Association of Women Doctors here, involved 1,000 females aged from 17 to over 50. The survey was conducted from December 2007 to January this year - and its results raise questions about what women are doing to protect themselves against cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer is one of the top five causes of cancer deaths among women in Singapore, with about 200 women here diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. The cancer begins in the cervix - the part of the uterus or womb that opens to the vagina - and can spread to other parts of the body if left untreated.
‘Cervical cancer is highly preventable because it has a long gestation period and a clearly defined pre-cancerous stage,’ says Prof Tay. But this is a bane - as well as a boon.
Because the disease has no warning signs, most women do not even know they are infected unless they go for periodic screenings.
Yet according to the survey, only 12 per cent of women aged between 17 and 26 have ever had a pap smear. Indeed, while they are already sexually active, almost a quarter of these young adults do not even know what a pap smear is.
‘In Singapore, at least 10 per cent of women prior to age of 16 have had sexual intercourse, and in fact, a significant number of them have more than one partner,’ says Prof Tay. ‘Given this scenario, ignorance about the pap smear is very worrying, because it is a very good diagnostic tool that will alert doctors to abnormalities in the cervix.’
But there is still hope. ‘There are now vaccines available that act against the more deadly types of HPV and give complete protection against HPV 16 and 18, which causes up to 70 per cent of all cervical cancers,’ he Prof Tay says.
The two vaccines now on the market are Gardasil, which was introduced here in 2006, and Cervarix, which made its debut a few months ago.
Both vaccines have to be given in three doses, spread over six months. Costing about $600, they have been approved for girls as young as nine.
‘The clinical trials were with women aged nine to 26, but even women who are in their 30s will benefit from the protection,’ says Prof Tay, adding that at present, neither vaccine is subsidised, even at public hospitals.
He urges women to look beyond dollars and cents - because life itself is at stake. ‘People buy hand phones and iPods for hundreds of dollars and they get out-dated after a year or so,’ he says. ‘An HPV vaccine lasts at least five years and it gives more than just entertainment value. To me, getting it makes a lot of sense.’
So ladies, the next time you visit the doctor, be good to yourself and ask for a shot. It could very well save your life.
| April 1, 2008 |
| 30 of them will be given Western drug and the others, a concoction of herbs, in three-month study |
| By Lee Hui Chieh |
| INSTEAD of just popping Western-medicine pills, some diabetic patients at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) will soon be drinking a concoction of medicinal herbs.
They will be taking part in a three-month-long study into how well traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can prevent kidney damage in diabetics, compared to the Western drug normally given. All 60 patients in the study will be given the usual medication to lower their blood-sugar levels and for other conditions such as high cholesterol. But they will be split into two groups - with half getting enalapril, a commonly prescribed Western drug which protects the kidney, and the other half getting a concoction of nine TCM herbs. The doctors running the study are Dr Bee Yong Meng, an associate consultant at SGH’s endocrinology department, and Dr Xu Yue, an associate professor of endocrinology at the Shanghai TCM Hospital, now on secondment to the Bao Zhong Tang TCM Centre at SGH. Diabetic patients whose urine already contains a certain protein - a sign of kidney damage - or whose blood pressure is high, are given medication to lower their blood pressure and protect their kidneys. Without treatment, patients who already have some kidney damage can end up with kidney failure. But the medication produces in some patients side effects such as cough, which can be bad enough for them to be taken off the medication, said Dr Bee. He said if the study yielded favourable results, TCM could become a ‘feasible option’ for patients who cannot tolerate the medication. ‘And if patients prefer TCM, at least we have some evidence to say if they should have it or not,’ he added. Dr Xu said a similar study on 100 patients she is doing in Shanghai has shown, after a year, that the TCM prescription works as well as standard drugs in protecting the kidneys - without the side effects. Dr Linn Yeh Ching, a senior consultant haematologist at SGH, will also be doing two studies to find out the effectiveness of TCM for patients with blood disorders. The first study, lasting a year, will give TCM herbs to 10 patients with a disorder that causes a low platelet count and for whom conventional treatment has failed. The second one, also lasting a year, will give TCM herbs to 30 patients with blood disorders that cause anaemia. Many of them tend to be elderly people unable to undergo bone marrow transplants, so they can be given only supportive treatment, Dr Linn said. Associate Professor Ng Han Seong, who chairs SGH’s medical board, said the hospital was looking to do TCM-related research in three areas - patients for whom conventional medicine has nothing left to offer, patients with chronic diseases, and cancer. He said: ‘If we are able to find an alternative, we can give patients another option.’ |
| March 31, 2008 |
| Former BT deputy news editor dies |
| By Chong Chee Kin
|
| THE one true passion of former Business Times (BT) deputy news editor Eddie Toh was journalism.
Even after leaving the newspaper for public relations last year, he retained a voracious appetite for politics and current affairs. Yesterday, just two days short of his 41st birthday, Mr Toh died in hospital after suffering a massive heart attack at home. He is survived by his wife of three years, Linda. The couple, who had no children, had birthdays one day apart and planned to celebrate her birthday today. Mr Toh, a Malaysian, started his journalism career at The Straits Times almost 20 years ago, reporting on financial news. He left to work as an analyst before returning to BT as its Malaysia correspondent. He was later made the paper’s deputy news editor here. His sudden death was a shock to his family and friends. BT senior correspondent Ven Sreenivasan, who knew him for over a decade, described Mr Toh as ‘easily one of the nicest people around’. ‘He was warm and approachable and one of those genuinely friendly people,’ he said. ‘He was very laid back and easy to talk to. He was very knowledgeable about Malaysian politics and we used to talk about it all the time.’ A close friend of nearly two decades, former BT news editor Quak Hiang Whai said: ‘Other men may talk about football when they meet but, with Eddie, it was always politics and global issues. Even after he left BT, we would spend our time doing a postmortem of the newspapers when we met.’ Mr Vince Chong, Beijing correspondent with The Straits Times, said he was in Singapore last week and had dinner with Mr Toh at Clarke Quay. ‘He was his usual jovial self, joking about politics and catching up on the gossip in the corporate world,’ he said. At about 3pm yesterday, Mr Toh complained of discomfort and began to vomit. With the help of a neighbour, his wife took him to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. By then, he was unconscious. Mr Quak, who was among the friends and colleagues who went to the hospital as soon as they heard the news, said: ‘I kept whispering in his ear, telling him we should both return to BT and we would stir up a storm together - anything that would excite him. I felt so helpless.’ But Mr Toh slipped away. BT editor Alvin Tay, who had also gone to the hospital, said: ‘I was shocked when I heard the news. He seemed quite fit when he was with BT.’ He remembered Mr Toh representing the paper at one of the Singapore Exchange’s Bull Runs in the Central Business District. ‘He was also affectionately known in BT as the newspaper’s CEO, or chief entertainment officer, mainly for chairing the organising committees for several of our fun events. ‘I was disappointed when he decided to quit the paper last year. To me, it was a loss to journalism.’ |
