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Hi @Sarah_tonin great question! However, this is a novel and ongoing outbreak and evidence is still emerging on the behaviour of the virus. Currently available epidemiological data points towards airborne transmission, although there is emerging evidence suggesting shedding in stool causing fecal-oral transmission as well (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/22221751.2020.1729071).
Ultimately, the preventive measures to reduce chances of catching the virus remain the same in terms of practicing good hygiene, getting lots of rest/hydration, as well as seeking medical attention early and wearing a mask for those that develop suggestive symptoms.
To get the latest information as evidence becomes available, follow reliable and updated resources such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) website or the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) channels such as this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTDmCglnAbM
Ultimately, the preventive measures to reduce chances of catching the virus remain the same in terms of practicing good hygiene, getting lots of rest/hydration, as well as seeking medical attention early and wearing a mask for those that develop suggestive symptoms.
To get the latest information as evidence becomes available, follow reliable and updated resources such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) website or the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) channels such as this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTDmCglnAbM
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0Hi @JimJammer88 thats a great question and Im sure many have it at the back of their minds! However, other than rest and hydration, there are no proven home measures that can help to reduce the risk of severe disease so far. Care takers need to remain vigilant about hygiene to reduce the risk of transmission, and wash their hands after contact with the patient or the patient’s surroundings, as well as before eating or touching their own face.
Presently most patients have mild disease, with severe disease mostly described in elderly and those with concomittant disease. If the patient is getting more unwell, bring them for a review with a medical professional as soon as possible. Early detection is key for appropriate management of the patient.
Equipment that are required for the management of severe patients are only available in hospitals and require monitoring by a health professional for safe usage. Rest assured, our leaders are already taking steps to develop contingency plans to ensure that our hospitals can meet the needs of our population if the situation gets worse.
Presently most patients have mild disease, with severe disease mostly described in elderly and those with concomittant disease. If the patient is getting more unwell, bring them for a review with a medical professional as soon as possible. Early detection is key for appropriate management of the patient.
Equipment that are required for the management of severe patients are only available in hospitals and require monitoring by a health professional for safe usage. Rest assured, our leaders are already taking steps to develop contingency plans to ensure that our hospitals can meet the needs of our population if the situation gets worse.
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Hey @igotz99problemz
Thank you for your enquiry! Home teeth whitening kit is safe as long as it has been HSA approved and best bought through a dental clinic.
Sensitivity: Normal to experience some sensitivity, usually goes away after 24 hours post treatment. It helps to use toothpaste for sensitive teeth during the whitening kit period. There are also desensitizing tooth mousse available by prescription only which helps counter any sensitivity.
Ways to improve teeth colour
Thank you for your enquiry! Home teeth whitening kit is safe as long as it has been HSA approved and best bought through a dental clinic.
Sensitivity: Normal to experience some sensitivity, usually goes away after 24 hours post treatment. It helps to use toothpaste for sensitive teeth during the whitening kit period. There are also desensitizing tooth mousse available by prescription only which helps counter any sensitivity.
Ways to improve teeth colour
- Scaling and polishing - dental cleanings help to remove superficial stains from food and drink that yellows the teeth. However this does not change the colour of the teeth.
- Teeth whitening kits - there are different concentrations of the gel so if you’re concerned about sensitivity, it may be worth your while to get a milder concentration
- Veneers and crowns - The concept of shaving off the top layer of the teeth afterwhich, a porcelain veneer is pasted on. Concept is like an acrylic nail. This is the most invasive of the three options.
Hope this helps and have a great day!
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Hello @deliriousg, very good question. In fact I was just speaking to a respiratory physician who brought up this topic. Cloth and water-repellent fabric masks are as helpful as surgical masks as they provide barrier protection too. What is most important is the mask fit. Fabric masks have the addition benefit of reusability. Of course, such barrier precautions have to be coupled with proper hand hygiene as well!
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Hi @TK no problem, glad to help! The second link you wanted to discuss does not seem to work, perhaps try pasting it again?
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Hi @nightspray thank you for your question.
In terms of coronovirus, there is insufficient data to conclude that there is possibility of maternal to neonatal (fetus) transmission. And the same for SARS and MERS.
Further, in general, pregnant ladies are more prone to infections and more susceptible to complications that can arise from infections.
For the case of these respiratory viruses (SARS, MERS, Influenza, Covid , etc), the primary concern is that of pneumonia.
Theoretically pregnant ladies have less respiratory reserve compared to another person of the same age who isn’t pregnant. As a result, this means they are less likely able to compensate if they were to develop pneumonia which causes a further decrease in lung capacity. Pregnancy also alters immunity which may increase risk and severity of infections.
I would refer to pregnant ladies as an at risk population and would advise increase precautions such as hand hygiene/using mask/avoiding crowded areas especially during the third trimester. If you know of a positive contact you’ve been near to/went to high risk areas in Singapore and develop symptoms of respiratory illness, it would be good to visit a GP or ANE ASAP depending on severity. At present the most important thing is a high degree if suspicion rather than the type of symptoms one has.
I hope this helps!
In terms of coronovirus, there is insufficient data to conclude that there is possibility of maternal to neonatal (fetus) transmission. And the same for SARS and MERS.
Further, in general, pregnant ladies are more prone to infections and more susceptible to complications that can arise from infections.
For the case of these respiratory viruses (SARS, MERS, Influenza, Covid , etc), the primary concern is that of pneumonia.
Theoretically pregnant ladies have less respiratory reserve compared to another person of the same age who isn’t pregnant. As a result, this means they are less likely able to compensate if they were to develop pneumonia which causes a further decrease in lung capacity. Pregnancy also alters immunity which may increase risk and severity of infections.
I would refer to pregnant ladies as an at risk population and would advise increase precautions such as hand hygiene/using mask/avoiding crowded areas especially during the third trimester. If you know of a positive contact you’ve been near to/went to high risk areas in Singapore and develop symptoms of respiratory illness, it would be good to visit a GP or ANE ASAP depending on severity. At present the most important thing is a high degree if suspicion rather than the type of symptoms one has.
I hope this helps!
0Hi @nightspray. Thank you for your question.
Unfortunately not much is known regarding this and it is only postulated that they can survive to up to 1 week on surfaces however the duration of activity is ill determined. They have however been proven to be effectively removed with disinfectants.
Unfortunately not much is known regarding this and it is only postulated that they can survive to up to 1 week on surfaces however the duration of activity is ill determined. They have however been proven to be effectively removed with disinfectants.
0Hi @vermie , based on current guidelines, it may not be necessary to go to TTSH (since your friend has no symptoms he is 1st ring of exposure, and you are in ring 2) unless you have severe features of flu (breathlessness, etc) based on your situation.
Doing so may result in unnecessary waiting and time wastage on your end if they determine you are at low risk and turn you away. Instead, I would recommend a teleconsult or to visit your nearby GP clinic to determine if you have any severe features.
Note that although the teleconsult from home option through platforms like DoctorWorld is more convenient, if you are found to have severe features, you may still need to visit your nearby GP clinic to be examined and for them to assess if you are truly at risk and in need of testing in TTSH. Hope this helps!
Doing so may result in unnecessary waiting and time wastage on your end if they determine you are at low risk and turn you away. Instead, I would recommend a teleconsult or to visit your nearby GP clinic to determine if you have any severe features.
Note that although the teleconsult from home option through platforms like DoctorWorld is more convenient, if you are found to have severe features, you may still need to visit your nearby GP clinic to be examined and for them to assess if you are truly at risk and in need of testing in TTSH. Hope this helps!
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Hi @igotz99problemz unfortunately this is not very clear based on current published peer-reviewed research! Myoinositol is largely considered a supplement and appears experimental at the moment. Metformin on the other hand is an established drug to treat insulin resistance which can develop in PCOS as well as other diseases like Diabetes. I' m afraid I also could not find a listing for it in HSA's online register of therapeutic products in Singapore, although if it is labelled under a brand you may need to try searching accordingly.
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You can consider making an appointment with Dr Chen Lin Han at Specialist Women's Medical Centre. Blk 103 Yishun Ring Road #01-81 S760103. You can try make an appointment with their clinic at 67572323. Hope this helps.
0@miss_understood You can prevent contracting the wuhan coronavirus by practising safe personal hygiene. You should wash your hands with soap after coming into contact with common objects, before eating and before touching your face.
You should avoid going to crowded areas and consider wearing surgical face mask when in crowded areas or when you are not feeling well.
N95 mask will definitely be more protective against the wuhan coronavirus as compared to surgical mask, similar to the protection adopted against the SARS coronavirus (Same family of virus as the wuhan coronarvirus).
You might like to refer to this article published by channelnewsasia for more health tips:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/wuhan-virus-singapore-what-can-you-do-health-advisory-12324632
Hope this helps! Cheers and happy chinese new year.
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Hey Joheet!
Thank you for your question. Grinding while sleeping happens to many of us and the intensity / frequency tends to be due to stress.
It is important to treat and address active grinding to prevent long term fatigue of your muscles and jaw joint (temporomandibular joint) so here are some suggestions:
1. Night guard : soft / medium / hard / duo layer bilaminate
find one that works for you and wear it. grinding down the guard is better than grinding down your teeth
2. Botulinium Toxin A aka Botox to the Jaw (masseter) muscle: helps to get the muscle relaxed and often decrease the force of grinding. Though not a long term solution, it is effective in reprogramming your subconscious state of mind.
3. Good sleep hygiene: No television / phones / psychological stimulants for 30 minutes before bedtime. A highly stimulated mind before bedtime has a tendency towards more grinding while sleeping as well.
I hope this helps and feel free to reach out if you have more questions.
Warm regards
Dr Beth Seow
BDS Ireland Hons
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Dear @worriedmum Most nosebleeds are not serious and will resolve by itself. It is important to teach your son not to pick his nose or rub his nose too hard as the blood vessels at the front of the nose is fragile and will bleed easily.
In the event, if his nose bleeds again, you can perform first aid by pressing on the tip of the nose that is soft. Remember to ask him to breathe through his mouth when the nostrils are pressed closed. You can wrap some ice with clothe and place them around the nose to reduce the blood circulation to the nose, helping to reduce the nose bleed.
In the event of persistent nosebleed, you can bring your child to the emergency department where doctors can assist in performing procedures to stop the bleed.
Do bring your child to see a GP or Ear, Nose, Throat specialist in the event if he has recurrent nosebleeds to rule out more serious conditions.
Hope this helps and your son gets well soon.
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@Lammmmmyyyy This is possible as the influenza virus is constantly mutating and there are many different strains of influenza circulating in the community. You might had your influenza vaccine previously but it did not cover the strain of influenza that you contracted. Therefore will advise yourself and other patients to practise hand hygiene and stay away from patients who are coughing and sick, despite having previous influenza vaccination. Hope this helps. Get well soon.
0Dear @gerdboss You should try to keep the blister clean and not burst it ( intentionally or unintentionally) as the skin acts as a barrier, preventing bacteria from entering and cause an infection.
You can apply antiseptic or antibiotic cream to the wound should the blister burst. There are blister plasters available in the pharmacy for you to paste on the blister to try make them subside.
Should your blister continue to enlarge in size, you can consider visiting your General Practitioner and your GP can assist in draining the blister in a sterile manner, to make the blister subside. Hope you get better soon.
0Dear @Nouseforaname ,Yes Zantac ( Ranitidine) has been used to reduce the Asian flush by slowing the breakdown of alcohol to acetaldehyde. However the loss of the Asian flush reaction, leads to one consuming excessive amount of alcohol, becoming more drunk, greater impairment of judgement and even death due to alcohol- induced poisoning.
Zantac has also been recalled off the shelves as on September 13, 2019, the FDA announced that preliminary tests found low levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in ranitidine. NDMA is a probable carcinogen and hence long term use of Zantac may cause cancer only after exposure to high doses over a long period of time.
Therefore I will advise not to take zantac or other equivalent while drinking and to hydrate more before or while taking alcohol.
Hope this helps.
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Hi @Mr_J, the sequence of symptoms you experienced is not uncommon. To go for a work-out with that neck ache, your body would typically use compensatory muscle groups of the upper back and pectoralis in order to protect the neck muscles. However, these muscle groups would in turn fatigue, causing you the aches you feel. It is encouraging that the pain is improving and you are returning back to full function. I agree with the Physio that such an injury would typically take 6-8 weeks of disciplined rehab to recover. To speed up recovery, some have tried ultrasound therapy or dry needling. Based on your symptoms, there is not much cause for concern. However if you do develop numbness/tingling or weakness of either hand/forearm/arm, or if the pain does not resolve in the expected 6-8 weeks, it would be prudent to visit a doctor.
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Hi @xty, bunions have varying severities with different underlying causes. Most happen in ladies with a known family history. To prevent worsening of mild cases, and to ease symptoms, use of broad toe box footwear, use of silicon toe spacers and avoidance of high heeled footwear is recommended. Cases which are more severe or refractory to management with the above-mentioned strategies would benefit from an orthopaedic consult. Let us know the progress of your recovery!
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Hi @xty, the accutane dose regime is tailored by your doctor specifically for you. In general, the duration of treatment and daily dose of your medication is approximated by a "total cumulative dose" that is approximately 120mg/kg with variations between individual patient and medical practitioners. If you missed your dose for 3 days, do NOT triple or double your dose on the next day. You may just need to extend the total duration of treatment by 3 additional days to achieve whatever total cumulative dose was set for you.
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