Dengue

Dengue fever, a disease caused by mosquitos, was reported in Malaysia since 1902 but it was only known as haemorrhagic dengue when first severe dengue outbreak occurred in Penang in 1962. Since then, dengue fever has been spreading across country mainly in cities and suburban areas.

The overview of dengue fever in Malaysia is much clearer from distribution of cases according to states, areas, age and gender. The number of dengue fever is relatively high in more developed and densely populated states like Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Johor. Actually, dengue fever can be found wherever mosquito vector is present and introduced, whether in rural or urban areas, with risk generally higher in latter.

Dengue virus is categorized under Flaviviridae family and it has four cerotypes including DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4. The important vectors for dengue viruses are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The transmission of disease starts when vector bites individual who has been infected with virus. These vectors like to bite early in morning and late evening. It multiplies in clear and stagnant water indoor or outdoor. Dengue virus needs about eight to ten days ( incubation period for virus) to replicate in vector’s saliva gland. When vector bites and sucks blood of any new and healthy individual, this individual will get infected with virus. Virus can be found in blood stream about four to six days after incubation period.

Dealing With The Losses Of Old Age Turning Them Around

I have done in-home-care for elderly for ten years now. Before that I was a family counselor. I talk to people everyday about losses of growing older. The loss of working and structure on has from working. The loss of income that we earn. The loss of meaning from life if we have built our lives around thinking we are our work. The loss of driving being able to transport oneself. The losses through health care issues, issues like vision and hearing. The loss of old time friends and loved ones. It seems to me all those things perhaps are harder than loss of one's life. We need to learn to deal with loss. This kind of loss is inevitable. But maybe we can turn loss around like we turn knowing what we don't want into what we do want. A celebration of what growing older means instead of what we are going to lose. So let's take a look at each one of these issues one by one. Loss of work: First and formost we are not work we do. There is lots of kinds of work in God's world. Perhaps now we are retiring. This can give us opportunity to re-invent ourselves. We perhaps can start a new business. Maybe be consultants as we have so much experience. Perhaps take a hobby and turn it into a full time profession. I have thought personally that retiring from full time outside work would give me time to write which is my passion. I also could develop my writing into a profession that was not limited to kind of physical work I do in caregiving.