Health | SSM: Air pollution is not the predominant cause of respiratory diseases

Ip Peng Kei (left), Lam Chong (second from right) and Jorge Sales Marques (right)

Yesterday, during a press conference, the Director of the Macau Health Bureau (SSM), Lei Chin Ion, said that “air pollution is not the main cause behind recent respiratory diseases.”

“Air pollution does indeed have an influence on respiratory diseases, but the percentage is not too high,” said Ho, adding “I believe that the air pollution in Macau is a lot lighter than the smog in Beijing, but Beijing’s health authority did not issue an alarm regarding their smog like what we are doing regarding the flu today.”

In addition, the director of the public health laboratory of SSM, Ip Peng Kei, noted that “when the air pollution is serious, the number of patients with respiratory diseases is likely to increase.”

“At the current stage, it is really difficult to calculate how many people saw a doctor because of air pollution,” said Ip.

During yesterday’s press conference, SSM’s report focused on recent situations concerning cases of influenza, commonly known as the flu.

“In October, Macau entered the flu season, and since then the flu situation has become increasingly serious. SSM believes that it has already reached its peak period. […] But we don’t know yet whether it has reached the highest,” said Lei.

From December until now, no severe cases or deaths were reported due to the flu.

Lam Chong, chief of the disease control and prevention center of SSM, reported that, in the first three weeks of 2018, the number of people with flu symptoms visiting hospitals has grown. The percentage of these patients suffering from the flu among all patients across all hospitals tripled; the normal percentage is 2 percent and the percentage of flu patients has reached 4.9, 4 and 6.5 percent in the first, second and third weeks of the year, respectively.

Out of the total number of children who visited doctors in hospitals, the percentage of children with flu symptoms were 5.4, 18.1, 21.3 percent respectively in the first, second and third weeks of the new year. The average rate is 11.5 percent.

The number of collective flu cases has also been continuously increasing for the past three weeks. Although no cases were reported in the first week, nine and 17 cases were recorded in the second and third weeks, respectively.

Jorge Sales Marques, chief of the pediatric and neonatology service of Centro Hospitalar Conde de S. Januário, noted that, in January, eight children were hospitalized because of the flu, and that seven have already recovered and been discharged.

According to Jorge Sales Marques, “the majority of the eight children did not take the flu vaccine,” and 8 percent of adults diagnosed with flu did not take the vaccine, while the rate of non-vaccination with children who are sick sits at around 60 percent. JZ

On assisted procreation treatment

LEI CHIN Ion has said that the government is still processing Kiang Wu Hospital’s application for licensing medically-assisted procreation services. TaivexMalo Day Hospital was suspended for six months by SSM after being accused of providing unauthorized medically-assisted procreation and cancer treatment services. Lei said that the government will give the license back to TaivexMalo if the clinic rectifies its operations.