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<TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>makapa <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>11:29 pm </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 1) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>33845.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=560><TBODY><TR><TD height=7 colSpan=3></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD><!--tr> <td colspan="3"> </td> </tr--></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Story With Image Start --></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=350>
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</TD></TR><TR><TD class=content_subtitle align=left>Sun, May 30, 2010
The Straits Times </TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>
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</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3><!-- TITLE : start -->Number of flu cases near epidemic levels <!-- TITLE : end--></TD><TD><TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD height=15 colSpan=3>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD><!-- Story With Image End --></TD><TD><TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=bodytext_10pt colSpan=3><!-- CONTENT : start -->By Salma Khalik
IT IS epidemic season in Singapore: The number of cases of flu has gone through the roof.
Although this is a traditionally high season for influenza and colds - collectively called acute respiratory infection - the number of people with the sniffles has been at epidemic, or near-epidemic, levels for the past six weeks.
Last week, for instance, 18,420 people sought treatment for the flu at polyclinics alone - or about 4,000 more patients a week than the norm for this time of the year.
<TABLE style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 4px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 4px" width=180 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 12px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" bgColor=#eeeeee>More worrying is the higher number of patients turning up with pneumonia, a more severe form of upper respiratory tract infection.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Private clinics are also seeing more patients with runny noses, fevers, aching bones and sore throats.
The Raffles Medical chain of more than 40 GP clinics has seen the number of such cases jump by about 20 per cent.
Doctors say many of their flu patients are exhibiting more severe symptoms.
Dr Chng Shih Kiat, deputy medical director at Raffles Medical, said: 'They tend to be more serious and prolonged, with complications such as sinusitis, resulting in antibiotics being prescribed.'
More worrying is the higher number of patients turning up with pneumonia, a more severe form of upper respiratory tract infection, he added.
Pneumonia is the third-biggest killer here - after cancer and heart disease - accounting for more than 2,000 deaths in 2008. No figures on fatalities for last year or numbers for this year are available.
Dr Leo Yee Sin, clinical director of the Communicable Disease Centre, said there is a definite increase in flu cases, and that many involve the pandemic H1N1 strain, which created a health scare worldwide last year, but eventually proved to be milder than originally thought.
According to Ministry of Health (MOH) figures, 29 per cent of patients here with flu-like symptoms last week had this bug.
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The Straits Times </TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>
</TD><TD height=15>
IT IS epidemic season in Singapore: The number of cases of flu has gone through the roof.
Although this is a traditionally high season for influenza and colds - collectively called acute respiratory infection - the number of people with the sniffles has been at epidemic, or near-epidemic, levels for the past six weeks.
Last week, for instance, 18,420 people sought treatment for the flu at polyclinics alone - or about 4,000 more patients a week than the norm for this time of the year.
<TABLE style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 4px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 4px" width=180 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 12px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" bgColor=#eeeeee>More worrying is the higher number of patients turning up with pneumonia, a more severe form of upper respiratory tract infection.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Private clinics are also seeing more patients with runny noses, fevers, aching bones and sore throats.
The Raffles Medical chain of more than 40 GP clinics has seen the number of such cases jump by about 20 per cent.
Doctors say many of their flu patients are exhibiting more severe symptoms.
Dr Chng Shih Kiat, deputy medical director at Raffles Medical, said: 'They tend to be more serious and prolonged, with complications such as sinusitis, resulting in antibiotics being prescribed.'
More worrying is the higher number of patients turning up with pneumonia, a more severe form of upper respiratory tract infection, he added.
Pneumonia is the third-biggest killer here - after cancer and heart disease - accounting for more than 2,000 deaths in 2008. No figures on fatalities for last year or numbers for this year are available.
Dr Leo Yee Sin, clinical director of the Communicable Disease Centre, said there is a definite increase in flu cases, and that many involve the pandemic H1N1 strain, which created a health scare worldwide last year, but eventually proved to be milder than originally thought.
According to Ministry of Health (MOH) figures, 29 per cent of patients here with flu-like symptoms last week had this bug.
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