scholarly journals Revelation of Children and Adult’s Food Allergen in Malaysia

Author(s):  
Norrina Din ◽  
Basri Rashid ◽  
Kamal Izzuwan Ramli ◽  
Nur Aliah Mansor ◽  
Dahlan Abdullah

Food allergy has been recognised by the World Health Organisation as a chronic disease that could lead to fatality. The symptoms can mediate from mild to severe consequences. Some cases have reported that food allergy sufferers are bullied and are discriminated at workplace, thus increasing their stress level, apart from facing difficulty in consuming certain food due to allergy. This has an adverse effect on the quality of life amongst food allergy sufferers. Medical bills are increased when food allergy sufferers become unknowingly exposed to food allergen. Hence, this study investigated food allergens among food allergy sufferers in order to make their lives better. A total of 250 respondents participated in an online survey. Surprisingly, apart from chicken, soybean and other food allergens that have been listed under the Big Eight Allergens, the respondents mentioned some fruits that could trigger allergic reactions, such as rambutans and watermelons. Food allergy sufferers can be allergic to seafood and seafood products as well, such as shrimp paste or locally known as belacan, which refers to fermented shrimp paste cured under the sun. It is a common food ingredient used among Malaysians. The study findings offer practical insights, such as avoidance of food allergens amidst food allergy sufferers and help the government to carefully manage for menu planning. The knowledge contribution of this study reveals several specific food and fruits, as aforementioned, which appear to be common and nutritious food, yet harmful to food allergy sufferers.

Author(s):  
Shamim Ferdous ◽  
Mohammad Deloar Hossain

Children with disabilities (CWDs) are one of the most marginalised and excluded groups in the society. Facing daily discrimination in the form of negative attitudes, lack of adequate policies and legislation, they are effectively barred from realising their rights to healthcare, education and even survival. It has been estimated that exposure towards all forms of violence against CWDs is four-time greater than that of children without disabilities. Bangladesh has an estimated 7–10 million CWDs (out of a total of 72 million children, World Health Organisation Report). Most of the time, these children are treated as a burden to their families or the community and thus become subject to violence. There are very few specialised institutions with residential facility to take care of them. So, they are institutionalised in general residential institutions at a significantly higher rate than other children. But both the special and general residential institutions have lack of skilled human resources and knowledge of the special situation and needs of CWDs. Peer groups of the CWDs are also less sensitised, which result in further stigma and discrimination of CWDs. A 2010 study was done by the Ministry of Women and children Affairs. The findings from interviews with adolescents’ aged 13–16 in 12 locations of Dhaka City revealed their extreme vulnerability. In 2010, a study by Bangladesh Protibondhi Foundation that conducted a survey supported by the Save the Children Sweden–Denmark found that 51.4% of CWDs are either at risk of sexual abuse (12.5%) or have been sexually abused (38.9%).The government of Bangladesh has taken a number of legislative and policy steps that indicate commitment to advancing the rights of persons with disabilities. In terms of international instruments, Department of Social Services under Ministry of Social Welfare operates various types of institutions for the children and also CWDs. The study will adopt qualitative and quantitative methods to collect information from both primary and secondary sources and also assess the situation of government non-government organisations/religious institutions where CWDs have residential facilities in order to understand which factors contribute to increased vulnerability of these children.


Author(s):  
Emmanuel Mensah Aboagye ◽  
◽  
Nana Osei Owusu ◽  

Air pollution continues to be an environmental problem that poses a lot of health risks to the young and aged. Developed countries have invested heavily to curb this environmental problem, causing severe threats to human lives, yet the results do not look convincing. In developing countries, the situation is difficult than they can imagine, resulting in governments borrowing to fight what looks like a lost battle [1-3]. The in-depth study of this environmental menace - air pollution, suggests that the government enacts stringent measures to help fight this battle. This is because air pollution has natural (volcanic eruption) and anthropogenic (human activities) causes. In December 2019, the deadly Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak was soon declared as a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) [4]. Majority of countries have had their share of the impact of this outbreak. Many countries resorted to city lockdown to strictly control the movement of people and economic activities as recommended by WHO.


Author(s):  
B. A. Haruna ◽  
F. Tahir ◽  
A. F. Umar ◽  
Mohammad M. Ibrahim ◽  
H. J. Balla ◽  
...  

Aim: We determine the prevalence of TB and MDRTB within the study population. Methodology: The sampling consists of 192 (54.4%) males and 161 (45.6%) females.  Ziehel Neelsen staining method was used for the detection of Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) in the sputum samples collected. Rifampicin resistant (MDRTB) isolates were detected by GeneXpert and the conventional PCR technique. Results: In this study, 6 (9.5%) out of the 63 positive samples were rifampicin resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in which 4(6.3%) were found among females and 2 (3.2%) were found among males. Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis was not dependent on gender statistically in this study P>0.05. Secondary institution among the health care centers had highest cases of tuberculosis18 (33.3%) while tertiary institute had higher rifampicin resistant tuberculosis 5(2.5%). Statistically there was significant relationship between occurrence of tuberculosis and health care centers p<0.05. Conclusion: There is need to establish more reference laboratories within the country in order to address the rising cases of tuberculosis. There is also need for urgent attention of the government and other developmental partners to address the rising cases of MTB and MDRTB which is outside the expected ratio of 3:1 (male : female) stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and to conduct a national tuberculosis drug resistance survey so as to determine the actual burden of MDRTB in Nigeria.


Author(s):  
Arshad Altaf ◽  
Safdar Kamal Pasha

Abstract The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set an ambitious target to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) by 2030. Pakistan is one of the focused countries because of the high prevalence of HCV. The prices of direct-acting antiviral drugs(DAA)have significantly reduced to between 11-25 dollars for a month’s treatment. To achieve the 2030 elimination target, Pakistan has to provide treatment to one million HCV-infected patients every year, beginning from 2018. This short report highlights a key barrier to achieve this target,i.e. the unsafe practices by regulated and unregulated healthcare delivery system comprising trained and untrained healthcare providers who can continue to churn out new patients with their unsafe healthcare practices and increase the possibility of re-infection in those who have been treated. Only the government has the power and authority to regulate and control the healthcare delivery system. Continuous...  


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Edwards ◽  
Nicholas Biddle ◽  
Matthew Gray ◽  
Kate Sollis

AbstractBackgroundHigh levels of vaccination coverage in populations will be required even with vaccines that have high levels of effectiveness to prevent and stop outbreaks of coronavirus. The World Health Organisation has suggested that governments take a proactive response to vaccine hesitancy ‘hotspots’ based on social and behavioural insights.MethodsRepresentative longitudinal online survey of over 3000 adults from Australia that examines the demographic, attitudinal, political and social attitudes and COVID-19 health behavior correlates of vaccine hesitance and resistance to a COVID-19 vaccine.ResultsOverall, 59% would definitely get the vaccine, 29% had low levels of hesitancy, 7% had high levels of hesitancy and 6% were resistant. Females, those living in disadvantaged areas, those who reported that risks of COVID-19 was overstated, those who had more populist views and higher levels of religiosity were more likely to be hesitant or resistant while those who had higher levels of household income, those who had higher levels of social distancing, who downloaded the COVID-Safe App, who had more confidence in their state or territory government or confidence in their hospitals, or were more supportive of migration were more likely to intend to get vaccinated.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that vaccine hesitancy, which accounts for a significant proportion of the population can be addressed by public health messaging but for a significant minority of the population with strongly held beliefs, alternative policy measures may well be needed to achieve sufficient vaccination coverage to end the pandemic.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Prete ◽  
Lilybeth Fontanesi ◽  
Piero Porcelli ◽  
Luca Tommasi

The World Health Organization defined COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, due to the spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in all continents. Italy had already witnessed a very fast spread that brought the Government to place the entire country under quarantine on March 11, reaching more than 30,700 fatalities in 2 months. We hypothesized that the pandemic and related compulsory quarantine would lead to an increase of anxiety state and protective behaviors to avoid infections. We aimed to investigate whether protective behaviors might have been enhanced or limited by anxiety and emotional reactions to previous experience of stressful conditions. We collected data from 618 Italian participants, by means of an online survey. Participants were asked to rate their level of worry for the pandemic, and to complete two questionnaires measuring the anxiety level: the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI-Y) and the Pre-traumatic stress reaction checklist (Pre-Cl). Finally, the respondents were also asked to report about their compliance with protective behaviors suggested to avoid the spread of the virus (e.g., washing hands). Results show that respondents with higher levels of worry reported higher levels of anxiety and pre-traumatic reactions, with positive correlations among the three measurements, and that higher frequency of the three protective behaviors were put in place by respondents with higher levels of worry. Moreover, regression analysis showed that worry for COVID-19 was most predicted by age, anxiety levels, and Pre-traumatic stress. These results could be interpreted in an evolutionary framework, in which the level of worry leads persons to become more cautious (protective behaviors) maximizing long-term survival at the cost of short-term dysregulation (anxiety).


2021 ◽  
pp. 432-442
Author(s):  
Fonny Cokro ◽  
Pretty Falena Kambira Atmanda ◽  
Reynelda Juliani Sagala ◽  
Sherly Tandi Arrang ◽  
Dion Notario ◽  
...  

Pharmacy education in Indonesia mainly involves a four-year undergraduate degree, followed by a one-year professional pharmacy programme. The curriculum and learning outcomes of undergraduate and professional pharmacy programmes follow academic standards set by the Association of Indonesian Pharmacy Higher Education, based on the Seven Star Pharmacist concept developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Most pharmacy undergraduate programmes are focused on general pharmacy skills and knowledge, which includes pharmaceutical sciences and clinical pharmacy. Professional pharmacy programmes provide more pharmacy practice training and skills; thus, graduates have broader career opportunities than undergraduates because they are prepared for higher responsibilities within pharmacy practice. Although there have been significant improvements in pharmacy education, there remain challenges related to government policies, stakeholder agreements, educational offerings, competencies, and training. This requires considerable collective efforts from the government, educational systems, associations, and other stakeholders to improve the role of pharmacists in Indonesia.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Major ◽  
Tomasz Stefura ◽  
Michał Wysocki ◽  
Piotr Małczak ◽  
Anna Rzepa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has reached Poland on March 4th, 2020 and undoubtedly affected all areas of life and medical care, including bariatric care. The study was planned to identify the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on bariatric care in Poland. Methods: The online survey was designed and distributed to bariatric surgeons. The questionnaire was divided into three parts: demographic characteristics of participants and their bariatric centers, examining the impact of the pandemic on the bariatric care and last part with questions about planned care after the pandemic.Results: 49 surgeons participated in the survey. 27 (55%) participants worked in hospitals transformed into COVID-dedicated units. Only 9 (18%) respondents declared uninterrupted bariatric surgery during a pandemic. 91% of surgeons declared continuation of bariatric care with telemedicine techniques. All participants declared a high willingness to resume bariatric surgery after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and responded that bariatric procedures should resume immediately when World Health Organisation (WHO) announces the end of a pandemic regardless of oncological treatment. 90% of respondents believe that the pandemic will not affect the safety of bariatric procedures in the future.Conclusions: Access to bariatric care during the pandemic is limited and redirected to telemedicine. Surgeons are ready to resume bariatric operations immediately after the pandemic, but its end is difficult to determine. In surgeons’ opinion pandemic will not affect the safety of bariatric surgery in the future. The extended waiting list and financial aspects will be the main issues after the pandemic.


2018 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
René R W Crevel ◽  
Stefan Ronsmans ◽  
Cyril F M Marsaux ◽  
Diána Bánáti

Abstract The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Europe Food Allergy Task Force was founded in response to early public concerns about the growing impact of food allergies almost coincidentally with the publication of the 1995 Food and Agriculture Organization-World Health Organization Technical Consultation on Food Allergies. In line with ILSI principles aimed to foster collaboration between stakeholders to promote consensus on science-based approaches to food safety and nutrition, the task force has played a central role since then in the development of risk assessment for food allergens. This ranged from consideration of the criteria to be applied to identifying allergens of public health concern through methodologies to determine the relationship between dose and the proportion of allergic individuals reacting, as well as the nature of the observed responses. The task force also promoted the application of novel, probabilistic risk assessment methods to better delineate the impact of benchmarks, such as reference doses, and actively participated in major European food allergy projects, such as EUROPREVALL, the European Union (EU)-funded project “The prevalence, cost and basis of food allergy across Europe;” and iFAAM, “Integrated approaches to food allergen and allergy risk management,” also an EU-funded project. Over the years, the task force’s work has evolved as answers to initial questions raised further issues: Its current work program includes a review of analytical methods and how different ones can best be deployed given their strengths and limitations. Another activity, which has just commenced, aims to develop a framework for stakeholders to achieve consensus on acceptable risk.


2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 31-42
Author(s):  
Lori Mooren ◽  
Ray Shuey ◽  
Christoph Hamelmann ◽  
Farhad Mehryari ◽  
Hassan Abdous ◽  
...  

The level of road trauma is high in the Eastern Mediterranean Region with the Islamic Republic of Iran having a particularly high fatality rate at 20.5 per 100,000 population. The Government, assisted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), committed to implementing demonstration projects in three provinces that will form the basis of road safety actions to be advanced by the WHO across the Region. In recognition that speed management is a pivotal factor in achieving a safer road and traffic system, and as a component of the project, a review was carried out in 2019 by a team of international experts in the field in collaboration with national consultants. This review was undertaken in consideration of the Safe System Approach and the Results-Based Management Approach. The findings of this review and their implications for future actions in Iran are discussed in this paper.


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