TR EMERITUS

New York Times, 6 December 2009 An extensive review of adverse effects from the H1N1 flu vaccine indicates that it is safe, with side effects no different from those of seasonal flu vaccines, health officials said. Dr Thomas Frieden, director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, called the findings “very reassuring” at a news briefing last Friday. But he noted that the results were still preliminary, as the H1N1 flu vaccine has been in widespread use for only about two months — since Oct5, when the first doses became available to the public. Rare problems or delayed effects might not show up until later, after many more people have been vaccinated. The findings came as H1N1 infections continue to wane in the United States. H1N1 flu was widespread in only 25 US states last week — mostly in the north-east and south-west, officials said last Friday. In late October, 48 states were reporting widespread cases of the flu. But since then, there has been a decline across the country and it appears that an autumn wave of H1N1 flu infections has peaked. A shortage of H1N1 flu vaccine is easing, with 73 million doses now available, about twice as much as there was a month ago. And another 10 million doses are expected in the next week, Dr Frieden said. He added that there was no sign that the H1N1 flu vaccine could increase the risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neuromuscular problem that was linked to a different swine flu vaccine used in 1976. Dr Frieden said the likelihood of an increased risk of the syndrome this time was “vanishingly remote”, but that the disease centres would continue monitoring intensively for all adverse effects. By Nov 24, 3,783 adverse events had been reported after H1N1 vaccinations, of which 204 were considered serious, a category that includes death, life-threatening illness and significant disability. Most of the serious cases are still being reviewed. Nerve and muscle conditions, pneumonia, allergic reactions and gastrointestinal disorders are among the problems reported. Dr Claudia Vellozzi, deputy director of the immunisation safety office at the disease centres, said scientists looked for commonalities and telltale patterns of illness among adverse events as a tip-off that they might be related to the vaccine. So far, she said, no patterns have emerged. Thirteen people have died within 19 days of having an H1N1 vaccination, including five children or teenagers. Nine of those who died had serious underlying illnesses, and one woman, 56, died in a car crash after leaving the clinic. Information is still being gathered about seven of the 13 deaths, Dr Vellozzi said. She added that a similar list of deaths would be expected after vaccination for seasonal flu. When hundreds of thousands of people are vaccinated, some deaths will inevitably occur afterwards, strictly as a coincidence. - New York Times Republished from New York Times on 6 December 2009  Read More →

By James Oh For those who have read my preceding article, “Steps to Overcome the Major Obstacles of Staying Healthy”, will have some insights as to how to overcome these major obstacles in general.  Today, I am going to talk about fear and the harms it may cause if you do not handle it well. It is always a misconception that successful men do not have fear.  The only difference is that they know how to turn the fear to desire compared to the not so successful men. Therefore, we need to constantly check and review our situation to ensure that we are not its captive because its destructive power can not be underestimated. 1. FEAR WEAKENS US Fear robs us of our inner peace and makes us paralyzed by doubts or frustrations.  If left unchecked, it will eventually cause us to abandon our faith and hope. Without faith and hope, we will lose our direction and destination. Here, you can see clearly that fear is an emotion that caused us to pay interest in advance on a debt that we never owe. Worst still, fear can be anything - real, imagine or perceived. It may attack you anytime, it can grow and ultimately take control of you.   2. FEAR CAUSES PROCRASTINATION Just imagine if your mind is busy speculating on all sorts of bad things that may happen to you, you will then find your mind to be either pre-occupied or clouded with abundance of negative things. As a result, no positive action will be taken. Inaction will lead you to no success. In short, you will remain status quo which will not only hinder you from moving forward but will also lead you to depression or a prisoner of fear. Here, we have to acknowledge and admit that everything in life has some degree of risks. There is no way to escape from such risks. Risks or challenges in fact add colors to life.   3. FEAR WASTES ENERGY "Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is" is well described by an old German adage. Most of the times, defeats are caused by people who give in to the fear itself. This is because it holds them back by making them think of unnecessary things. As a result they have to waste valuable energy. In short, fear can push you towards the wrong direction by producing nervous energy that makes you unable to perform in a new situation. Alternatively, it can also sap your energy as you try to overcome the paralyzing effect that is holding you back.    4. FEAR BREEDS MORE FEAR Similar to success, fear breeds more fear. What is worse is fear itself. It is an unknown belief that comprises anything that makes you doubtful or suspicious. It can exaggerate itself until it becomes like a monster that can take control of you and make you captive of fear.  It is something intangible and it lies inside us. It is not necessary real; so long as you comprehend it as danger then it is sufficient to capture yourself. Sometimes, fear can provoke adverse action which is harmful to us, such as taking drugs so as to numb ourselves to the fear.   5. PREVENT US FROM REACHING OUR POTENTIAL Being captive of fear will cause you to be doubtful and makes you fearful to attempt, thus losing the opportunity to win. Without trials and testing, how can you reach your potential? I hope this article will give you a good grasp of fear so that you will not let fear rule and ruin your lives. In the following article I will try to provide you some tips on how not to let fear bothers you again.So, stay tuned for the forthcoming article. Look forward to seeing you again. James Oh   Other articles by James Oh: >> Priority leads to prosperity >> How to get faster results >> How to retire gracefully >> Steps to overcome major obstacles of staying healthy (Part 2) About the Author: James Oh is an accountant by profession and he works as a Financial Controller for more than 10 years with several companies in Singapore and Malaysia. He is a full member of the Singapore Institute of Director and he also obtained a LLB (Law degree) from the University of London in 2003. He is happily married with 3 loving kids. James blog at http://liftyouup.blogspot.com  Read More →

The large number of foreigners coming to work in Singapore's two Integrated Resorts (IRs) are contributing to the demand for HDB flats especially in the Telok Blangah area. The Resort World Sentosa, run by Malaysia's Genting Group was reportedly looking for hundreds of HDB flats for rent. It did not reveal the number of foreigners it is hiring though an official statement released to the press promised that Singaporeans will be given "priority" in the job recruitment. Resort World had announced that it will be hiring 20,000 people. It did not state the number of foreigners it will be recruiting. Filipino President Gloria Arroyo said in April this year that around 5,000 new jobs would be made available to Filipinos in the island resort of Sentosa in Singapore. (Source: GMA news) Official figures provided by the Ministry of Manpower lump citizens together with permanent residents as "resident" workforce and there is no way to determine the exact percentage of jobs which have gone to the locals. Property experts say that though the influx of foreigners have led to a spike in demand for HDB flats, overall rentals are likely to remain steady due to the large stock of flats available for rent islandwide. Foreigners slotted to work at the soon-to-open integrated resort (IR) there are scouting for rental units. The two IRs are scheduled to be open next year. Marina Bay Sands was supposedly to be opened in December this year, but was postponed due to the financial difficulties of its parent company in Las Vegas. The current average monthly rental in Telok Blangah for a three-room HDB flat is about $1,700 while a four-room HDB flat goes for about $2,000. The asking prices for flats in Tanjong Pagar have risen to $2,300 a month for a three-room flat to $2,800 a month for a five-room flat.  Read More →