What you should know about AIDS

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Health Tips
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Ingrown Toenails
2
Apa Anda Harus Mengetahui tentang AIDS
3
4
Migraine
5
Look Good. Feel Good
6
Electronic Medical Records
7
Be a Volunteer
7
Christmas Promotion
8
Healthy Recipe: Grilled Lemongrass Chicken 8
A newsletter for patients • Dec 2007/Jan 2008
What you should know about AIDS
AIDS (Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome) is
the final stage of an infectious disease caused by
the virus HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus).
HIV can infect anyone, whether male or female,
young or old, rich or poor.
The number of Singaporeans infected with HIV
continues to rise each year. As of June 2006, a total
of 2,852 Singaporeans have been infected with HIV
or AIDS.
A person with HIV may be well with no symptoms
but can still pass the virus to others. It may take
up to 10 years before a person with HIV develops
symptoms and progress to the final stage of the
disease, AIDS.
Symptoms of AIDS may include:
• Fever
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Diarrhoea
• Swollen glands
• Muscle aches
• Fatigue
• Infected blood through blood transfusion, though
this is rare in Singapore.
HIV cannot be spread by:
• Mosquitoes or other biting insects.
• Ordinary social contact such as shaking hands.
• Sharing of food, cups, plates, eating utensils.
• Using the same toilet seats, shower rooms,
swimming pools.
• Coughing or sneezing.
What can you do to protect yourself?
There is no cure for HIV infection or AIDS. Hence it
is important to protect yourself by:
• Avoiding casual sex
This is not limited only to sex with commercial
sex workers. You may also be infected by any
“normal” looking person on the street. Therefore,
it is best to have a single sexual partner and
remain faithful to that partner.
These are very non-specific symptoms and are
similar to symptoms of the common cough or cold.
Hence it is not possible to tell who has the HIV virus
and who does not.
How is HIV transmitted?
HIV is spread by:
• Sexual intercourse
(This includes vaginal, anal or oral sex with an
infected person.)
• Infected pregnant mothers to their babies.
• Sharing of needles
(In persons who abuse drugs by injecting
themselves. It also includes needles used for ear
piercing, tattoo and acupuncture.)
MICA (P) 264/01/2007
cont’d on page 2
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Health Tips
cont’d from page 1
• Using barrier protection - condoms
Condoms may not give 100% protection, but
when used correctly are effective in reducing the
risk of contracting HIV.
• Not sharing needles
If you require ear piercing, tattoo or acupuncture,
go to a reliable operator who uses sterile
equipment.
What should you do if you suspect that you
are at risk of acquiring HIV infection?
You can get a HIV blood test to see if you are
infected. This blood test can be done as soon as
two weeks from your exposure. However, this test
will usually need to be repeated three months after
your exposure as the virus may remain undetected
until 3 months after infection.
Currently the Rapid HIV test is available at certain
clinics with the results available within the same
day.
Where can you go for HIV testing?
• All polyclinics and private clinics
• Department of STI Control (DSC)
31 Kelantan Lane, #01-16, Singapore 200031
Tel: 62939648
• Action for AIDS (located in DSC)
- offers anonymous HIV testing
Why is early detection important?
Early detection is important because it can:
• Control the disease and prevent the progression
to AIDS
• Prevent the spread of HIV from a pregnant mother
to her baby
• Prevent the spread of HIV to others
Article contributed by Dr Phua Mei Fang, Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic
Ingrown Toenails
When one side or a corner of your toenail grows or
curves into the flesh area (nail bed) of that toe, it
results in an ingrown toenail. This can happen to
any side of any toenail but it happens more frequently
to the first big toenails.
Signs and symptoms
There may be pain, swelling, and redness over the
side where the toenail grows into the nail bed. The
inflammation may spread and cause the whole toe
to swell. This may then lead to infection and blood
or pus may be seen oozing out.
In a diabetic person with poor blood circulation, an
ingrown toenail can develop into an ulcer. And if left
untreated, it may cause more serious complications
such as necrosis, which is the death of body tissues.
When substantial areas of tissue die due to a lack
of blood supply, it will result in the condition called
gangrene.
Causes
1. Wearing of tight-fitting footwear in the toe area
may result in the development of ingrown toenails.
This adds undue pressure from the shoe material
to the toenails, especially the big toenails. This
may cause them to grow downwards into the
nail bed.
2. Sports such as football may cause injury to the
toenails, resulting in ingrown toenails.
3. Cutting toenails too short is another cause of
ingrown toenails because this encourages the
toenails to curve downwards into the nail bed.
4. People with unusually curved toenails, e.g. in
older people with thickened or fungal infected
toenails are also at risk of developing ingrown
toenails.
page 2
Treatment
For an infected ingrown toenail, see a
doctor to treat the underlying infection first.
Sometimes, if the toenail is curved too
deeply into the nail bed, a minor surgical
operation (partial or total toenail removal)
may be necessary to remove the
offending part of the toenail.
It is advisable to
see a podiatrist after
the inflammation
has subsided for
proper cutting of
your toenails. The
podiatrist can also pack a dressing under the nail
plate to encourage the toenail to grow over the
packing and straight out instead of downward into
the flesh area.
Prevention
1. Cut toenails straight across and not too short.
Do not follow the curvature of your toes when
cutting toenails. Use a nail file to round off the
nail corners.
2. Wear shoes with a proper fit. Shoes should have
enough room for you to wriggle all your toes
without restriction.
3. Seek help promptly from a doctor or podiatrist
when you experience pain in your toenails.
4. If you are unable to cut your toenails because
they are thick and curved, it is advisable that
you get a podiatrist to cut your toenails for you.
Article contributed by Ms Pauline Ang, Podiatrist
Health Tips
Apa Anda Harus Mengetahui tentang AIDS
AIDS (Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome) ialah
peringkat terakhir jangkitan sejenis penyakit yang
berpunca daripada virus HIV (Human
Immunodeficiency Virus). Ia boleh berlaku kepada
sesiapa sahaja, mahupun anda seorang lelaki atau
perempuan, muda atau tua, kaya ataupun miskin.
Jumlah warga Singapura yang dijangkiti AIDS semakin
meningkat setiap tahun. Setakat bulan Jun 2006,
seramai 2,852 warga Singapura telah pun dijangkiti
AIDS atau HIV.
Seorang yang telah dijangkiti HIV mungkin nampak
sihat tanpa sebarang simtom tetapi dia masih boleh
memindahkan virus itu kepada orang lain. Ia mungkin
mengambil masa sehingga 10 tahun sebelum
seseorang yang telah dijangkiti HIV mendapat
simtomnya dan seterusnya melarat ke peringkat
terakhir penyakit tersebut, iaitu AIDS.
Simtom untuk AIDS mungkin meliputi:
• Demam
• Batuk
• Sakit tekak
• Cirit-birit
• Kelenjar yang bengkak
• Sakit otot
• Kelesuan
Simtom-simtom ini tidak khusus dan adalah sama
dengan simtom-simtom untuk batuk atau selsema
biasa. Oleh yang demikian adalah rumit untuk
mengetahui siapa yang mempunyai virus HIV dan
siapa yang tidak.
Bagaimanakah HIV dijangkiti?
HIV merebak/menular melalui:
• Hubungan seks / Persetubuhan
Ini termasuk hubungan yang dilakukan melalui
faraj, dubur ataupun oral (mulut) seseorang yang
sudah dijangkiti.
• Ibu hamil yang sudah dijangkiti kepada bayinya
yang belum lahir
• Perkongsian jarum
Bagi mereka yang menyalahgunakan dadah dengan
menyuntik diri sendiri. Ia juga termasuk jarumjarum yang telah digunakan untuk menindik telinga,
bercacah (bertatu) serta rawatan akupuntur.
• Darah yang telah dijangkiti melalui pemindahan
darah
Perkara ini jarang berlaku di Singapura.
HIV tidak boleh merebak/menular melalui:
• Nyamuk atau jenis serangga lain yang menggigit
• Sentuhan biasa ketika bersosial seperti bersalaman
tangan
• Berkongsi makanan, cawan, pinggan, sudu, garfu
atau perkakas-perkakas untuk makan
• Mengguna tempat duduk tandas, bilik mandi, kolam
renang yang sama
• Batuk atau bersin
Bagaimana anda boleh melindungi diri anda?
Jangkitan HIV atau AIDS tidak dapat diubati. Oleh
itu, amatlah mustahak bagi anda melindungi diri
anda dengan:
• Mengelakkan seks rambang
Ini bukan sahaja terhad kepada hubungan seks
dengan pekerja–pekerja seks. Anda juga mungkin
dijangkiti dengan sesiapa sahaja yang kelihatan
“biasa”. Oleh itu, eloklah anda hanya mempunyai
seorang pasangan sahaja dan teruslah setia
kepadanya seorang.
• Mengguna perlindungan - kondom
Kondom tidak dapat memberi perlindungan 100%,
tetapi bila digunakan dengan betul akan jadi
berkesan untuk mengurangkan risiko mendapat
HIV.
• Tidak berkongsi jarum
Jika anda perlu untuk menindik telinga, bercacah
(bertatu) atau rawatan akupuntur, dapatkan
perkhidmatan daripada pengendali yang
menggunakan peralatan yang steril.
Apa anda harus buat jika anda mengesyaki
bahawa anda berisiko tinggi mendapat jangkitan
HIV?
Anda boleh lakukan ujian darah HIV untuk
menentukan jika anda telah dijangkiti. Ujian darah
ini boleh dibuat selepas dua minggu anda telah
terdedah kepada virus tersebut. Namun ujian ini
mungkin perlu diulangi selepas tiga bulan pendedahan
anda kerana virus mungkin masih belum dapat
dikesan sehingga 3 bulan selepas jangkitan.
Buat masa kini, ujian HIV Pantas (Rapid HIV test)
boleh didapati di sesetengah klinik dan keputusannya
boleh didapatkan pada hari itu juga.
Di mana anda boleh membuat ujian?
Ujian darah HIV terdapat di:
• Semua poliklinik dan klinik swasta
• Jabatan Kawalan STI (DSC)
31 Kelantan Lane, #01-16, Singapura 200031
Tel: 62939648
• Action for AIDS (Bertindak untuk AIDS) - bertempat
di Jabatan Kawalan STI (DSC)
- menawarkan ujian HIV tanpa identiti anda
Mengapa pengesanan awal itu penting?
Pengesanan yang awal adalah penting kerana ia
boleh:
• Mengawal penyakit dan mengelakkan ia melarat
menjadi AIDS
• Mengelakkan jangkitan HIV daripada ibu hamil
kepada anaknya yang belum lahir
• Mengelakkan jangkitan HIV kepada orang lain.
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Health Tips
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Health Tips
A typical migraine attack causes moderate to severe
pain that often interferes with a person’s ability to
perform routine activities. In some cases, the pain
is so severe that one has to lie down in a dark, quiet
place to wait for the headache to subside.
Typical migraine symptoms:
• Pain on one side of the head. Although both sides
of the head can be affected in some cases.
• The pain is typically throbbing in nature (like your
heart is pounding inside your head).
• The pain may last from a few hours to a few days.
• The pain is usually recurrent (the person often
has had similar headaches in the past).
• May cause nausea and/or vomiting.
• Increased sensitivity to bright lights and sounds.
Migraine typically develops in the period from
childhood to early adulthood. It may also be
hereditary. Sufferers may have family member(s)
who also suffer from migraine.
Types of migraine
The most common kind of migraine is called migraine
without aura, the features of which have been
described above.
A smaller proportion of migraine sufferers have
migraine with aura. This is the classical migraine
and the symptoms include:
• Seeing sparkling flashes of light.
• Seeing dazzling zigzag lines in the field of vision.
• Seeing slowly-spreading blind spots in the vision.
• Feeling tingling, pins and needles sensations in
one arm or leg.
• In rare cases, the experience of weakness or
language and speech problems.
These aura symptoms may arise 15-30 minutes
before the migraine headache starts.
The causes of migraine
The exact cause of migraine is still unclear, although
a chemical compound in the brain called serotonin
is believed to be involved.
Diagnosis of migraine
Migraine is essentially a diagnosis made clinically
after a thorough history and physical examination
by a doctor. There is no blood test that can diagnose
migraine. Occasionally, imaging such as CT scan or
MRI may be done to rule out other causes of
headache if the diagnosis is still uncertain.
What triggers migraine?
There are various conditions that may trigger
migraine.
• Stress, both mental and physical.
• Environmental stimuli e.g. bright lights, sun glare,
unusual smells (which may include even pleasant
smells such as perfume).
• Sleep cycle disturbances, including both lack of
as well as excessive sleep.
• Food such as alcohol, aged cheeses, chocolate,
fermented, pickled or marinated foods, aspartame,
overuse of caffeine, monosodium glutamate and
certain seasonings.
• Skipping meals or fasting.
• Hormonal influences such as during menstrual
period, pregnancy or while taking hormonal tablets
(contraceptive pills and hormone replacement
therapy).
How to reduce the frequency of migraine
attacks?
1. Avoid the triggers described above if any of them
applies to your situation.
2. If your migraine is frequent, your doctor may
recommend preventive therapy. This usually
involves taking an oral medication daily to reduce
the possibility of a migraine attack. Commonly
used examples of preventive medications include
beta-blockers, tricyclic anti-depressants and antiepileptic drugs.
3. Regular aerobic exercises, such as swimming,
walking, cycling can reduce tension and prevent
migraines.
When to see a doctor?
If you suffer from headaches that have never been
diagnosed, it is advisable to seek medical consultation
to establish the cause of your headaches. If you
have been diagnosed with migraine previously, the
following situations would also necessitate a medical
review:
• Any change in headache nature, frequency or
severity that is out of your norm.
• There is a recent head injury, especially if the
headache is progressively worsening.
Alternative therapy for migraine
There is some evidence from research that
acupuncture may help with both acute attacks and
prevention while high dose vitamin B may help with
prevention.
Article contributed by Dr Steven Chong, Family Physician and Deputy Head, Hougang Polyclinic
page 5
Health Tips
Look good. Feel good.
As anyone will tell you, losing weight is not easy.
But with some effort and discipline, you can become slimmer and fitter.
Am I overweight?
You can find out if you are overweight or obese by
checking your body mass index (BMI) using this simple
formula:
BMI =
weight (kg)
height x height (m2)
BMI for
Asian Adults
(kg/m2)
CVS
Disease
Risk
<18.5
-
Normal weight
18.5 –22.9
Low
Overweight
23.0-27.4
Moderate
> 27.5
High
Underweight
Obese
1. Eat less
Reduce the amount of food that you eat,
especially fatty foods.
Examine your eating habits and change that
too. For example, do you snack when you are
watching TV or when you feel stressed?
2. Get moving
If you have not exercised for a long time, start
with simple walking exercises. You can also
do other sports such as swimming, cycling or
playing games. To be safe, check with your
doctor to make sure that you are fit before
you start on an exercise regime.
What are the benefits of losing weight?
If you are overweight or obese, you are more likely to
have medical problems like diabetes, heart attack and
stroke.
And if you already have chronic diseases such as diabetes
and high blood pressure, losing weight can help you
keep them under control.
What’s more, you will look better and feel better!
How do I lose weight?
You will need to make some life-style changes.
3. Set realistic goals
Don’t expect to lose 10kg in one month! That
is neither realistic nor healthy. Instead, target
to lose one to two kg a month.
4. Make it fun
Involve your family and friends. It will be more
fun!
Where can I get help?
Our Weight Management Programme (WOW!) helps you lose weight safely and effectively.
Call 6355 3000 to find out more!
Article contributed by Dr Siew Wei Fong, Health Promotion & Preventive Care
page 6
Our Services
Electronic
Medical Records
Making healthcare better, faster and
safer
Be a Volunteer
If you’ve visited our polyclinics recently, you might
have noticed several warm and friendly faces guiding
elderly patients around or helping out at workshops.
No, they’re not our new clinic staff. In fact, they’re
our patients… and they’re also our newly recruited
volunteers!
NHG Polyclinics has introduced an exciting volunteer
programme, and we’re looking for people from all
walks of life to join our growing team. You’ll meet
new friends, learn new skills and, best of all, make
a huge difference to our staff and patients.
So, why not join us as a volunteer today? All it takes
is a big smile, warm heart and passion for helping
others - and you’ll be on your way to brightening
someone’s day!
NHG Polyclinics has completed the roll-out of Phase I
of its Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system in
October 2007. We are proud to announce that many
of our processes are now ‘paper-less’.
EMR facilitates the recording of diagnoses, ordering
of prescriptions, lab tests and X-rays, and retrieving
of lab test results electronically. Using EMR, our
medical staff can also record clinical notes for nursing,
better manage patients' chronic conditions and
retrieve relevant medical information of patients
who have visited restructured hospitals.
As NHG Polyclinics progress with the times and keep
up with the needs and demands of our increasingly
affluent patients, it is vital that we leverage on IT
to improve our processes and help us focus on our
patients better. With EMR in place, patients benefit
by receiving better, faster, safer and more cost
effective healthcare.
How can you help?
Whatever your skills and interests, we’ve a wide
range of volunteer opportunities for you to choose
from, including:
• Guiding and ushering patients
• Helping patients take their height and weight
• Providing administrative support
• Organising workshops and forums
• Taking part in community outreach programmes
If you’re 15 and above, are in good general health
and enjoy interacting with people, we’d love to hear
from you!
Please fill up this form and hand it to any of our
polyclinic staff. We will be in touch with you shortly.
Name: (Dr/Mr/Ms/Mrs/Mdm)
__________________________________________
Address:__________________________________
__________________________________________
Contact number:____________________________
E-mail address:_____________________________
Areas of interest
Guiding and ushering
Helping patients take their height and weight
Administration
Workshops and forums
Community outreach programmes
Others _________________________________
We also welcome schools and organisations that are
interested to take on a volunteer project. Please contact
us at [email protected] or 6355 3000.
page 7
Specials
Christmas Promotion
UP:
$24.90
Thermal Handy Bag
while stocks last!
990
$
Valid only:
• When you spend $25 & above in a single receipt
(excluding medicinal items)
• OR with any purchase of Neutri Care Health Supplements
• OR purchase at an exclusive price of $15.90 (with no prior
purchases)
Healthy Recipe
Grilled lemongrass chicken
Ingredients
4 pieces boneless chicken breast (90g each)
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
6 stalks lemongrass, finely grounded
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey
Chairperson
Method
1. Rinse chicken breast and pat dry with paper towel.
Marinate with all the other ingredients in a shallow bowl.
2. Grill chicken breast until golden brown (10 minutes
each side). Remove fat and skin before serving.
Ms Jancy Mathews, Health Promotion & Preventive Care, HQ
Brown rice can be served instead for added fibre.
CHO exchange: 0 (per serve)
One bowl of white rice = 3 CHO exchanges
Dr Tung Yew Cheong, Woodlands Polyclinic
Editor
Ms Eleanor Toh, Corporate Communications, HQ
Members
Ms Pauline Ang, Singapore Footcare Centre
Ms See Yen Theng, NHG Pharmacy
The information produced is for reference and educational
purposes only. As each person’s medical condition is unique,
you should not rely on the information contained in this
newsletter as substitute for personal medical attention,
diagnosis or hands-on treatment. If you are concerned about
your health, please consult a healthcare professional.
Reproduction of the articles in whole or part without permission
is prohibited.
For advertising rates and enquiries, please call Ms Audrey Lee
at 64966696 or email [email protected]
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