Kasmiah Mustapha looks back at the issues that made headlines in 2019.
THE year has seen many health issues plaguing the country and while some of them are not new — such as the rise of non- communicable diseases and obesity — a few incidences did make headlines, capturing public attention.
Earlier this month, news that polio has returned shocked everyone because Malaysia had been declared polio-free since 2000.
The return of this vaccine-preventable disease raised the question of making vaccination compulsory.
This year also saw the worst haze crisis since 2015. For two months, the whole country was blanketed by thick smoke that caused some areas to be categorised as hazardous.
Here’s a closer look at some of the health issues that made headlines in 2019.
POLIO RETURNS
On Dec 8, the first case of polio after 27 years was confirmed. A 3-month-old baby in Tuaran, Sabah, developed fever and paralysis and tests conducted by the World Health Organisation’s Regional Polio Reference Laboratory in Melbourne, Australia, confirmed that the poliovirus was the cause of the child’s illness.
The baby was infected by a rare strain of poliovirus called circulating vaccine-derived polio Type 1. According to WHO, these polio viruses only occur if a population is seriously under-immunised.
The strain in this case is genetically linked to the ongoing poliovirus circulation in the southern Philippines, which declared an outbreak of polio on Sept 19. Tuaran has several settlements of Filipino immigrants, some of whom have been living there since the 1970s.
In a bid to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as polio, Malaysia will vaccinate overseas visitors in the country.
The Health Ministry is seeking cooperation from Unicef to get subsidised vaccine supplies, and plans to work with the Philippines to secure less expensive treatment. Some 20 to 30 per cent of overseas visitors, especially in Sabah and Sarawak, enter the country without screening, which can result in the return of more infectious diseases.
HAZE CRISIS
Between August and September, Malaysians breathed in toxic air — smoke from open fires in Indonesia. The hazy conditions worsened to levels not seen since 2015.
Many areas recorded Air Pollution Index (API) readings of between unhealthy, very unhealthy and hazardous. A reading of between 101 and 200 is categorised as unhealthy, 201 until 300 is very unhealthy, while 300 and above is hazardous / dangerous.
One of the worst hit areas was Sri Aman in Sarawak, which recorded its highest API at 36 — well into the hazardous range. Schools were closed and flights were cancelled due to the haze.
It was reported that haze-related illnesses such as conjunctivitis, asthma, respiratory infections and rashes soared by 40 per cent nationwide. Areas with higher API readings have more frequent cases of respiratory infections, conjunctivitis and skin rashes.
The trans-boundary haze, which has become an almost annual crisis since 1997, brings a potentially carcinogenic cocktail of chemicals including carbon monoxide, cyanide and formaldehyde.
MENTAL HEALTH
With one in three Malaysians having mental health problems, the challenges are to ensure they get early diagnosis and proper treatment. Mental illness is projected to be the second biggest health issue affecting Malaysians next year.
To help tackle this, a mental health handbook has been introduced by the Health Ministry that provides information on how to recognise early warning signs and symptoms of mental illness, as well as the treatment and management of the ailment.
The handbook, developed by a private-public partnership, is written for easy reading and supplemented with visuals. It touches on four mental disorders — depression, anxiety, bipolar and schizophrenia.
It includes information on how to reach out to someone with mental health problems, steps to manage one’s mental well being and a directory on mental health services in Malaysia.
BEST HEALTHCARE
Malaysia’s healthcare received first ranking in the Best Healthcare in the World category in the 2019 International Living Annual Global Retirement Index. According to the International Living website, Malaysia scored 95 out of 100 for its healthcare services and infrastructure.
It said of the 13 hospitals in the country accredited by the Joint Commission International, almost all doctors were trained in the United Kingdom, United States or Australia, and are fluent in English. This has also led to Malaysia being the top medical tourism destination, according to the report.
Affordable healthcare is another positive point for the country as expatriates can choose either private or public hospitals. While more expensive, the treatment in private hospitals was still affordable, the report said.
DRUG DECRIMINALISATION
The government has proposed decriminalising drug addiction and possession for personal use.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the significant game-changing policy will help the country battle drug addiction. He said drug addiction is a complex, relapsing medical condition and throwing an addict in jail will not cure him/her.
Drug decriminalisation is the next step towards achieving a rational drug policy that puts science and public health before punishment and incarceration, he added. However, he stressed that the move is not about legalising drugs as drug trafficking will remain a crime.
While there is no date yet on when the policy will be in place, it was announced in October that a committee will be be formed to speed up the process. The committee will be spearheaded by the Home Ministry and the Youth and Sports Ministry.
Malaysia’s penalties for drug possession are among the world’s most severe. A person in possession of 200g of cannabis, 1kg of opium, 40g of cocaine, or 15g of heroin or morphine faces being charged with drug trafficking, which carries the death penalty.
Currently most of the 70,000 prisoners in jails are drug addicts. More than 1,200 prisoners on death row were convicted of drug crimes.