KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 21, 2009): Can 100Plus cure dengue?
That was the question posed by Datuk Ibrahim Ali (Ind-Pasir Mas) during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said he heard some people were cured of dengue after drinking the isotonic drink but in some cases, it did not leave any effect.
Expressing concern that the widespread belief could endanger the life of certain people such as diabetics, he asked Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin the measures taken by the ministry to give the right information to the public.
"What is the method used by the ministry to create awareness among the people so that they consume medicine not based on belief but based on medical reference?" he asked.
Rosnah said she was aware of it herself, but to date there was no scientific analysis which could support it.
"However, I’d like to share my experience here that one of my relatives too had consumed the drink when he was infected by dengue. Alhamdulillah (Thank God), so far he is healthy, has recovered and it (100Plus) did not do him any harm," she said, adding she would consider Ibrahim’s suggestion and will get a good answer for him later.
She added that the ministry had set up special hotlines to give information and explanation to the public on certain diseases.
Earlier, Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) asked whether dengue was an endemic in Malaysia and what were the efforts taken by the government to combat the rise in cases.
Rosnah said it was an endemic disease in the tropical and sub-tropical areas, including Malaysia, but the number of dengue cases hds been on the decline this year.
"In the first week of this year, 1,633 cases were reported with an average 1,176 cases reported every week until March.
"However, thanks to the government's prevention and control efforts and with public cooperation, in the 41st week (from Oct 11 – 17), only 563 cases were reported," she said.
Until Oct 17 also, she said, the number of accumulated dengue cases was 33,123 compared with 36,234 in the same period last year – a fall of 3,111 cases.
She said the number of dengue-related deaths also fell from 80 cases last year to 72 in the same comparative period.
In the same period, the number of dengue cases in nine states also fell, except for Selangor, Penang, Sarawak, Perlis, Malacca and Sabah, she said, adding the government spent RM12 million on promotional activities through the media.
(Source: Sun2Surf)
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