A(H1N1) and Dengue killer epidemics
By Lim Kit Siang
Tiong Lai should take leave from MCA party duties to lead a 24/7 national campaign, resign as Health Minister or take leave as Health Minister so that a “full time” Health Minister can provide leadership
It is shocking that instead of leading the national war against the double epidemics of A(H1N1) and dengue, the Health Minister, Datuk Liow Tiong Lai is leading the national blame game with the MCA-owned Star putting him on the front-page headline news blaming “the lack of vigilance by members of the public and even some doctors”.
Let me tell Tiong Lai. Don’t blame others. If you want to blame somebody, blame yourself for failing to provide the needed leadership to mobilize Malaysians to fight the double epidemics as Health Minister.
Liow does not seem to be a Health Minister who is confronted with the two killer epidemics, with A(H1N1) claiming four deaths and recording a total number of 1,302 cases while dengue has killed 64 and recorded 26,446 cases since January, set to break even last year’s worst dengue epidemic of 49,335 cases and 112 casualties.
The worse is yet to come for both deadly epidemics.
At a recent briefing to the National Influenza Pandemic Task Force meeting (July 27, 2009), Dr Tee Ah Sian, director of communicable diseases of WHO, painted a possible scenario for the Malaysian A(H1N1) pandemic.
For our 27.7 million populations, if simply 20% are at risk and exposed, then some 5.5 million people will contract the A(H1N1) flu. Based on other serious influenza statistics, if 2% to 9% require hospitalization then, some 110,000 to 500,000, respectively, would need hospital care.
If the case fatality rate is estimated to be from 0.1% to 0.5%, then some 5,500 to 28,000 of infected patients would die, respectively.
In the latest updates of the most seriously ill patients identified and confirmed infections, the global case fatality rate has risen from the 0.4% to 0.66%.
As Health Minister facing such a possible national catastrophe, Liow should fully focus all his time and energies to lead and mobilize Malaysians to combat the A(H1N1) and dengue epidemics, even on a 24/7 basis, doing nothing else but getting the two killer epidemics under control.
But Liow is not doing this as he is more engrossed with the MCA internal power struggle between the MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and the MCA Deputy President Datuk Dr. Chua Soi Lek, ignoring his responsibilities as Health Minister who should be spending every ounce of his energy and every second of his waking hours on the two killer epidemics!
Liow should seriously take leave from all MCA party duties so as to be able to concentrate fully and completely on combating the A(H1N1) and dengue epidemics or he should resign and let another person take over as Health Minister who is prepared to completely focus on the two killer epidemics until they are brought under check.
Yesterday, my blog received a typical complaint by a distraught parent, viz:
On the Influenza A(H1N1): I find that what the minister of health and the DG of MMC say is not what is being practiced at the government hospitals.
My girl is sick since Monday night and has been to 2 private clinics three times, and one clinic, the Dr. said to wait for three days for the antibiotic to take effect.
As she continued to have high fever, and as advised by the Dr in the 2nd private clinic, today she went to Malacca Hospital.
After waiting for three hours, she finally gets to see the Dr. only to be told to wait another three days, and new medicine issued. When asked, they said she did not have to undergo the swab test. This inspite of the several cases of the A(H1N1) at her university in Bukit Beruang.
Dato’ Seri Liow is quoted as having said that all those with symptoms should undergo the swab test. However, sad to say, the message is not going to the ground level, where a totally different stance is being taken. They call it the ‘mitigation phase’.
I ask: What if three days or one week is too late? (My girl is underweight and not terribly strong.) Is that how the other deaths occurred?
Why minister and DG say one thing, but hospitals and IMR not listening? Does it surprise you then that the number of cases are escalating day by day?
DG of MMC today said the people are not doing enough. I was informed by a doctor in private practice that countries like Hong Kong are doing a great job in containing this pandemic. Why Malaysia cannot do? How many more deaths is it going to take?
Over to you, Liow. If Liow is not prepared to go “full time” as Health Minister to spearhead the national war against these two killer epidemics and wants to continue to dabble in the MCA power struggle, and also not prepared to resign as Health Minister, he should take leave as Health Minister from the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak so that a “full time” Health Minister can take over the battle against the two killer epidemics.
Lim Kit Siang
民主行动党国会领袖兼怡保东区国会议员林吉祥于2009年7月31日（星期五）在八打灵再也所发表的声明（3）：
A(H1N1)型流感和骨痛热症两大致命性流行疾病——廖中莱必须暂离所有马华党职，以领导一个全天候一个星期7天、每天24小时的全国运动，否则他必须辞去卫生部长一职或请假，以便让一名“全职”的卫生部长可以代为领导
卫生部长廖中莱非但没有带领全国人民向两大流行性疾病——A(H1N1)型流感及骨痛热症全面宣战，反而却将矛头指向人民，并在马华控制的《星报》封面头条新闻中将之归咎于“公众及一些医生缺乏警惕”，令人感到震惊。
就让我提醒廖中莱不要归咎他人。若你要怪罪一些人，那么就先怪你自己，因为你作为卫生部长却失责，没有提供必要的领导以动员马来西亚人民一起对抗这两大流行性疾病。
廖中莱看来不像一个正在面对两大致命性流行疾病的卫生部长，因为A(H1N1)型流感至今已夺走4条人命及写下1302宗病例，而骨痛热症自今年1月以来已夺走64条人命，并创下2万6446宗病例，日益接近去年骨痛热症最严重时期的4万9335宗病例和112人丧命。
最糟糕的还在后头。
世界卫生组织西太平洋区域办事处传染病部门主任Dr. Tee Ah Sian最近于2009年7月27日向全国流感专案小组会议汇报，描绘了A(H1N1)型流感在马来西亚的可能情况。
以马来西亚全国2770万人口计算，若单单只是20%人口有可能会感染A(H1N1)型流感，那么感染人数或高达550万人。根据其他严重流感的数据，若2%至9%受感染者需要入院治疗，那么所涉及的人数或高达11万至50万人。
若流感的死亡率估计介于0.1%至0.5%，那么将有大约5500至2万8000名受感染病患将丧命。
根据确认并证实患病的最严重病患者的最新数据指出，全球流感死亡率已从0.4%飙升至0.66%、
作为一名正面对可能爆发一场全国性灾难的卫生部长，廖中莱必须将他的所有时间及精力充分灌注在领导及动员马来西亚人民以对抗A(H1N1)型流感及骨痛热症这两大流行性疾病，甚至必须一个星期7天、每天24小时，务必要掌控这两大流行性疾病避免肆虐。
但是廖中莱并没有这么做，因为他更专心一致在马华总会长翁诗杰及署理总会长蔡细历的党内权力斗争，反而撇开他身为卫生部长的职责，即全心全力将所有时间用来对抗这两大流行性疾病！
廖中莱必须慎重暂离所有马华党职，以便能够全力专注并全面打击A(H1N1)型流感和骨痛热症，否则他应该辞职，并让另一个准备全面专注在对抗这两大流行性疾病的人取而代之接任卫生部长，直到疫情受到控制。
如果廖中莱不准备做个“全职”卫生部长以便站在最前线向两大致命的传染病宣战，反而继续为马华的内斗而忙，而又不肯辞去卫生部长一职的话，那他至少应该向首相请假，让一个“全职”的卫生部长去进行全力向两大致命的传染病宣战的工作。
林吉祥
