Sunday, June 7, 2009
Flu A/H1N1 cases keep rising in Asia-Pacific region Thursday
www.chinaview.cn  2009-06-04 01:07:55 |   Print |
Hong Kong, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The flu A/H1N1 infection cases keep rising in the Asia-Pacific region as the flu-stricken countries and regions, including Japan, Australia, the Philippines and Thailand, all reported fresh confirmed cases on Thursday.
With five more cases confirmed in Shizuoka, Tokyo and Chiba, Japan's tally of confirmed cases of the new strain of flu virus infection reached 410 in Japan on Thursday, the health authorities said.
In Tokyo, a 25-year-old male student who returned from the United States on Tuesday tested positive for the flu. In Shizuoka, local authorities confirmed that two men, in their 20s, have been infected with the new flu virus.
The cases were reported at a time when the flu appeared to be running out of steam in Japan.
With the resumption of classes at Kobe Gakuin University High School Wednesday, all schools, which were closed amid the flu fears, reopened in western Japan's Kobe.
Thailand's Public Health Ministry confirmed on Thursday the country's first human-to-human case of A/H1N1 flu infection.
The ministry said the patient is a 19-year-old man, who has not traveled abroad. He was infected by his mother, who was sick of the A/H1N1 flu after returning from the United States.
His mother, 49, developed the flu symptoms as she and her husband returned from the U.S. on May 25. The husband was earlier confirmed to have been infected with the flu.
His parents have already recovered from the disease, the health authority said, without revealing any details about the latest patient's condition.
In addition, the source said the country's eighth case of the A/H1N1 flu is a 20-year-old woman, whose flu symptoms had started from May 30 while she was in the United States. The woman arrived in Thailand on Monday and was admitted to hospital on Tuesday.
The Philippine health authorities said seven more patients were tested positive for influenza A/H1N1 on Thursday, bringing the total number of the country's confirmed cases to 29.
One of the newly-confirmed cases is a 20-year-old male overseas student at the De La Salle University, who is a contact of the first case confirmed at the school on Wednesday.
The other six cases are Filipinos who all returned from trips to the United States, Health Secretary Francisco Duque told reporters.
Duque said in all of the 29 confirmed cases, patients manifested only with mild symptoms reflecting the general trend and behavior of the virus in other affected countries.
"With further characterization of the virus in our local cases, if we see that A/H1N1 poses no severe threat and is self-limited in most cases, we may be seeing a shift in our control strategy to outpatient and home management of patients showing only mild symptoms," he said.
Since May 1, the Philippine Department of Health has monitored a total of 414 cases under observation. Besides the 29 positive cases, 47 are pending laboratory results, and 338 others are negative for the virus.
In Australia, the number of A/H1N1 flu cases surged to 876 by Thursday afternoon, according to local media reports on Thursday.
The Victoria state alone had a total of 752, according to the state's health department, with the next closest state being New South Wales with 74 as of Thursday afternoon.
Victoria is now placed in the same category as Mexico, Panama and Japan.
There are no travel restrictions within Australia so far or for people arriving at or departing the country, according to the federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon.
The neighboring New Zealand also reported another flu infection case, which took the country's total confirmed number to 11.
The person arrived in New Zealand on May 30 on Air NZ flight NZ5, although the confirmed case was notified only Wednesday.
Sixty-three people were in isolation or quarantine and being treated with Tamiflu, up from 54 since Wednesday.
Although New Zealand's confirmed Influenza A/H1N1 cases had been capped at 11, health authorities believed that an increase was inevitable, particularly given the soaring number of cases in Australia.
Malaysia also reported three new cases of A/H1N1 flu on Thursday, bringing the tally to five, said Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai.
The latest flu patients were two German tourists, who arrived at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal near here on AirAsia flight AK702Wednesday afternoon.
The two patients, aged 30 and 32, arrived in Singapore on Monday for their holiday in Asian countries. They were confirmed with the disease Thursday afternoon after having developed fever in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
Earlier Thursday, Malaysia reported the third A/H1N1 flu case --a student, who returned from the United States on Malaysian Airlines flight MH091 on Monday.
The Malaysian health authorities are tracing the 276 passengers and crew members on the same flights with the three patients.
Malaysia announced the first A/H1N1 flu case in the country on May 15 and the second on May 16. Both were students who returned home from the United States.
Singapore has confirmed its 12th case of Influenza A/ H1N1, the country's Health Ministry said on Thursday.
The patient is an 18-year-old Singaporean man. He went to Melbourne on May 16 and returned to Singapore on Emirates EK405 on Monday.
The Health Ministry said the contact tracing is ongoing for the latest case. The ministry also advised the public to avoid non-essential travel to affected areas, including Melbourne and Victoria in Australia, Kobe and Osaka in Japan, Chile, the United States, Canada and Mexico.
In China's Hong Kong, three people were tested positive for theA/H1N1 virus on Thursday, taking the number of confirmed cases in the populous city to 30, according to information from local health authorities. But no further report is available at the stage.
Vietnam on Thursday confirmed the country's fourth infection case in Ho Chi Minh City. The Health Department said a six-year-old Vietnamese girl recently returning home from the United Stateshas been confirmed to be infected with the flu virus, according to local media report.
The girl is receiving treatment now. All of the four infected patients in the country have recently returned from the United States.
After treatment, the first three cases are now tested negative to the virus and may be discharged from hospital next week, said the report.
Although this news is some days late, it seems that there are more and more swine flu cases keep coming up.
- wong chee tat :)
Average income of low-wage workers up by 9% over past two years
Average income of low-wage workers up by 9% over past two years
By Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 07 June 2009 2115 hrs
SINGAPORE: Low-wage workers, who form 20 per cent of the workforce in Singapore, are earning more now compared to what they did in 2006.
For instance, workers who earned about S$1,200 have seen wages rise by 9 per cent, according to the latest government report. But as the economy worsens, bigger challenges lie ahead.
Zalina Abdul Gani is one worker who has benefited from various government schemes designed to give low-wage employees a leg-up.
She took a course with the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and with the help of her local community development council, found a job as a kitchen helper at a sushi chain.
"I was working full-time at Hei Sushi, but because of the recession, I switched to part-time. I accept it – it's better than not having any job, or being retrenched," Madam Zalina said.
In a progress report on low-wage workers, those who earned a monthly wage of S$1,200 in 2006 saw their salary go up to S$1,310 last year.
The number of low-wage workers – defined as those who earned S$1,200 or less in gross monthly income – has also gone down.
For instance, the number of low-income employees has fallen from 360,000 in 2006 to 300,000 in 2008. The income gap also narrowed in 2008 – the first such decline in a decade.
But those were the boom years.
With Singapore stuck in a deepening recession and retrenchments set to rise, the outlook for low-wage workers is not great.
From 2006 to 2008, the government spent over S$1.1 billion to help low-wage Singaporeans. It is presently reviewing its programmes, such as the Workfare Income Supplement scheme, to see what else it can do.
Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said: "This economic downturn will affect Singaporeans across the board, whichever wage category you're in. But we'll continue to monitor and help the low-wage workers.
"For those who've tried very hard and yet are unable to find a job for a variety of reasons, there will still be help schemes under the normal Comcare Fund, which the MPs and the community administer. They can approach their MPs for help, specifically if they have financial difficulties."
At a dialogue session with Tanjong Pagar GRC residents on Sunday, the issue of foreign workers and foreign talent came up again, with many expressing concerns over what they saw as unfair competition.
"Singaporeans are affected. Some of them have lost their jobs and rightly or wrongly, they think the foreigners are taking away their jobs. I think we can understand and empathise with the feelings," said Mr Gan.
"To keep the foreigners out may be very appealing to the locals, but it may not be the right approach for Singapore in the long term because it will then undermine the basic economic fundamentals. And if we do so, it will affect our long-term economic position."
The manpower minister added that the government will work the ground better to explain its policy, especially during the downturn, when tensions between foreigners and Singaporeans are expected to rise.
- CNA/so
- wong chee tat :)
By Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 07 June 2009 2115 hrs
SINGAPORE: Low-wage workers, who form 20 per cent of the workforce in Singapore, are earning more now compared to what they did in 2006.
For instance, workers who earned about S$1,200 have seen wages rise by 9 per cent, according to the latest government report. But as the economy worsens, bigger challenges lie ahead.
Zalina Abdul Gani is one worker who has benefited from various government schemes designed to give low-wage employees a leg-up.
She took a course with the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and with the help of her local community development council, found a job as a kitchen helper at a sushi chain.
"I was working full-time at Hei Sushi, but because of the recession, I switched to part-time. I accept it – it's better than not having any job, or being retrenched," Madam Zalina said.
In a progress report on low-wage workers, those who earned a monthly wage of S$1,200 in 2006 saw their salary go up to S$1,310 last year.
The number of low-wage workers – defined as those who earned S$1,200 or less in gross monthly income – has also gone down.
For instance, the number of low-income employees has fallen from 360,000 in 2006 to 300,000 in 2008. The income gap also narrowed in 2008 – the first such decline in a decade.
But those were the boom years.
With Singapore stuck in a deepening recession and retrenchments set to rise, the outlook for low-wage workers is not great.
From 2006 to 2008, the government spent over S$1.1 billion to help low-wage Singaporeans. It is presently reviewing its programmes, such as the Workfare Income Supplement scheme, to see what else it can do.
Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said: "This economic downturn will affect Singaporeans across the board, whichever wage category you're in. But we'll continue to monitor and help the low-wage workers.
"For those who've tried very hard and yet are unable to find a job for a variety of reasons, there will still be help schemes under the normal Comcare Fund, which the MPs and the community administer. They can approach their MPs for help, specifically if they have financial difficulties."
At a dialogue session with Tanjong Pagar GRC residents on Sunday, the issue of foreign workers and foreign talent came up again, with many expressing concerns over what they saw as unfair competition.
"Singaporeans are affected. Some of them have lost their jobs and rightly or wrongly, they think the foreigners are taking away their jobs. I think we can understand and empathise with the feelings," said Mr Gan.
"To keep the foreigners out may be very appealing to the locals, but it may not be the right approach for Singapore in the long term because it will then undermine the basic economic fundamentals. And if we do so, it will affect our long-term economic position."
The manpower minister added that the government will work the ground better to explain its policy, especially during the downturn, when tensions between foreigners and Singaporeans are expected to rise.
- CNA/so
- wong chee tat :)
Aunt of H1N1 patient becomes 15th case
Aunt of H1N1 patient becomes 15th case
By Desmond Wong, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH )has confirmed another H1N1 case, bringing the total to 15 cases so far. The latest case is a 39-year-old Indonesian woman who is the aunt of an earlier case.
She went to Changi Airport to fetch her niece who returned from New York via Frankfurt on Monday. When the niece developed symptoms on Tuesday, the aunt brought her to Raffles Hospital by taxi.
The aunt had been on home quarantine and was given medication, but laboratory results confirmed on Saturday that she has been infected with the H1N1 virus. She has mild symptoms and is in stable condition.
Three of her family members have already been placed on Home Quarantine Order (HQO).
The Health Ministry said although the 15th case was started on chemoprophylaxis when she was served the home quarantine order, it should be noted that she could already have been infected through close contact with her niece prior to taking the medicine.
While chemoprophylaxis can significantly reduce the risk of infection, it does not completely eliminate it.
As such, MOH reiterates its advice to avoid non-essential travel affected areas such as Melbourne and the State of Victoria in Australia, Kobe and Osaka in Japan and Chile, USA, Canada and Mexico.
For those returning from the affected areas, they should seek medical attention promptly and call 993 for an ambulance if they become unwell within seven days of their return.
They should avoid taking public transport or taxi to minimise exposure.
MOH said to date, six patients have been discharged and nine are still in hospital. The 12th patient involved an 18-year-old Singaporean man who took the MRT in the morning of June 3 to see his GP.
MOH said its risk assessment showed that there is limited exposure to the public as it was only a two-minute train ride from Serangoon to Kovan.
The Health Ministry said Singaporeans need not be unduly alarmed as the virus remains mild and all patients are stable. However, the ministry added that this is an example that should not be followed by others.
MOH said that contact tracing for the 13th and 14th cases have been completed.
The 13th case involved a 23-year-old Singaporean man who travelled to Melbourne from May 27 to June 3. MOH has identified 44 close contacts on the flight.
It managed to contact 18 out of the 19 passengers with entry records into Singapore. They comprise 11 Singaporeans and seven foreigners, and they have been placed under HQOs. Their period of quarantine ends on June 11. One foreigner is uncontactable.
MOH has alerted the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to inform the ministry if he should turn up at Singapore's checkpoints.
The ministry has also informed WHO and its IHR counterparts of the 25 passengers who are out of Singapore.
For the 14th case that involved a 22-year-old Singapore Airlines air-stewardess, MOH said it did not conduct contact tracing of flight passengers on SQ25 flight travelling from New York to Frankfurt on the basis that the confirmed case is unlikely to have been infectious while onboard the plane.
She had developed symptoms more than 24 hours after disembarkation. Her quarantine period is from June 5 to June 11.
MOH has identified four close local contacts and they have been placed under HQOs. Her quarantine period is from June 5 to June 11.
- CNA/vm
So in here, there are 15 such cases!!! Will there be more such cases?
- wong chee tat :)
By Desmond Wong, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH )has confirmed another H1N1 case, bringing the total to 15 cases so far. The latest case is a 39-year-old Indonesian woman who is the aunt of an earlier case.
She went to Changi Airport to fetch her niece who returned from New York via Frankfurt on Monday. When the niece developed symptoms on Tuesday, the aunt brought her to Raffles Hospital by taxi.
The aunt had been on home quarantine and was given medication, but laboratory results confirmed on Saturday that she has been infected with the H1N1 virus. She has mild symptoms and is in stable condition.
Three of her family members have already been placed on Home Quarantine Order (HQO).
The Health Ministry said although the 15th case was started on chemoprophylaxis when she was served the home quarantine order, it should be noted that she could already have been infected through close contact with her niece prior to taking the medicine.
While chemoprophylaxis can significantly reduce the risk of infection, it does not completely eliminate it.
As such, MOH reiterates its advice to avoid non-essential travel affected areas such as Melbourne and the State of Victoria in Australia, Kobe and Osaka in Japan and Chile, USA, Canada and Mexico.
For those returning from the affected areas, they should seek medical attention promptly and call 993 for an ambulance if they become unwell within seven days of their return.
They should avoid taking public transport or taxi to minimise exposure.
MOH said to date, six patients have been discharged and nine are still in hospital. The 12th patient involved an 18-year-old Singaporean man who took the MRT in the morning of June 3 to see his GP.
MOH said its risk assessment showed that there is limited exposure to the public as it was only a two-minute train ride from Serangoon to Kovan.
The Health Ministry said Singaporeans need not be unduly alarmed as the virus remains mild and all patients are stable. However, the ministry added that this is an example that should not be followed by others.
MOH said that contact tracing for the 13th and 14th cases have been completed.
The 13th case involved a 23-year-old Singaporean man who travelled to Melbourne from May 27 to June 3. MOH has identified 44 close contacts on the flight.
It managed to contact 18 out of the 19 passengers with entry records into Singapore. They comprise 11 Singaporeans and seven foreigners, and they have been placed under HQOs. Their period of quarantine ends on June 11. One foreigner is uncontactable.
MOH has alerted the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to inform the ministry if he should turn up at Singapore's checkpoints.
The ministry has also informed WHO and its IHR counterparts of the 25 passengers who are out of Singapore.
For the 14th case that involved a 22-year-old Singapore Airlines air-stewardess, MOH said it did not conduct contact tracing of flight passengers on SQ25 flight travelling from New York to Frankfurt on the basis that the confirmed case is unlikely to have been infectious while onboard the plane.
She had developed symptoms more than 24 hours after disembarkation. Her quarantine period is from June 5 to June 11.
MOH has identified four close local contacts and they have been placed under HQOs. Her quarantine period is from June 5 to June 11.
- CNA/vm
So in here, there are 15 such cases!!! Will there be more such cases?
- wong chee tat :)
Full Moon
| Year | Month | Day | Time | Day of week |
| 2009 | Jun | 7 | 18:13 | Sun |
| 2009 | Jul | 7 | 09:23 | Tue |
| 2009 | Aug | 6 | 00:57 | Thu |
| 2009 | Sep | 4 | 16:05 | Fri |
| 2009 | Oct | 4 | 06:11 | Sun |
| 2009 | Nov | 2 | 19:15 | Mon |
| 2009 | Dec | 2 | 07:33 | Wed |
| 2009 | Dec | 31 | 19:15 | Thu |
- wong chee tat :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)