ASEAN Dengue Day with Sanofi Pasteaur

ASEAN Dengue Day with Sanofi Pasteaur

• 6.05.2015

Dengue. How ever such a small bite can cause so much damage in this world. Noted as a major public health concern especially among Malaysians (we have the highest cases) which the first epidemic outbreak occurred during 1998. I remembered back then i was in primary and there were posters, banners, commercial and public talks main topics were about Dengue & Nyamuk Aedes.

Thank you Manoah for having me as one of the bloggers here that day! Sorry about my clumsiness though oTL

I am not the usual one to talk about stuff like these because i always brush them off as something doctors can easily cure with some meds that help boosts your white blood cells and the rest it is up to your body to do the work.

Actually when you come to think of it, "up to your body to recover" sounds rather scary because not everyone is strong you know :-/ 

You can be physically fit on the outside but your immune system is weak.

That's why "death by Dengue" comes into the question, though this death occurrence might be a handful of the population out of the dengue patients but nonetheless it is still fatal. Who knows you could be next?

In my life time, i have personally contracted many kinds of viruses including one that was most painful, MUMPS.

*Shudders* just typing this word reminded me of the gruesome experience where my own father avoided me like I'm some deadly plague, he was useless anyway >.> I was basically isolated.

However Dengue is not just an ordinary virus, it is something more bigger than one can imagine as it is unpredictable, so i thank god for being able to attend this seminar about what Dengue is really all about & raising awareness by Sanofi Pasteaur.

Baptiste de Clarens, the current Vaccine Managing Director for Sanofi Pasteur- Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei, giving his take about what is Sanofi Pasteaur all about.

From my very basic knowledge of dengue (read ups here & there, word of mouth & personal experience) i knew it was a very dangerous back then because there were so many death cases when it first started back in 1998, but gradually lessen as medications were introduced but these do not cure Dengue, they only can help a person to a certain extend.

So in general there is no "ACTUAL CURE" for dengue.

Also how many of you guys actually know how to tell if a person is contracted by dengue? The usual answers would be feverish, joint pain and red skin rashes. But let me tell you this, that is just a few of the many common symptoms out there.

There are cases of people who don't get those except a mild fever and maybe some headaches, those won't know they have dengue till it's too late.

So if you do notice something is amiss like high fever continuous for 3 days, just go for a blood test. The doctor might tell you it's nothing but it's your right to insists :)

Last year my house-mate suffered from dengue but on our first visit to the doctor they brushed it off as a normal fever as it wasn't too high but this continued for more than a week!
And that idiot house-mate of mine still went to work as usual despite feeling extremely fatigue, i had to walk Tessa (yay!) for 2 weeks because he look so miserable, plus he wasn't eating well. 

He would throw up everything he ate including a slice of bread.
On the 2nd week, we decided to go for a blood test on the first time it didn't clearly state dengue but on the 2nd test it was positive =.=
See what i mean by you can never be too sure?

As for me it was a similar case as well 3 years ago, i was lucky it was just a minor one.
Here are a few misconception on dengue most Malaysians have based on latest research and surveys done.

• Only young and old are more prone to getting it compared to young adults as he have higher immune system. WRONG! It affects young adults too and truth be told, we are at higher risks due to our active lifestyle that brings us all around both day & night compared to those who spend less time outdoors. Remember, Dengue does not discriminate! 

• The Usual Malaysian Attitude, when you mention about DENGUE. They will brush it off and say that they are highly aware about it but tend to overlook this situation. While the awareness is high but on 11% of the population foresee it being at high risk, specially those who had lost friends or family members to Dengue. Ignorance isn't bliss for this matter! 

• I won't die from Dengue! True enough it might not be life threatening to many as most survived through that short period of "suffering" and is now walking amongst us but what really kills is the long term dehydration, severe bleeding and organ damage caused by dengue. Surviving your first dengue infection doesn't mean you are immune to the other 3 types and also those who gets reinfected have high chances in developing more severe symptoms. Conclusion= No such thing as immunity in Dengue. Unlike other viruses.

• Now with modern and more sophisticated equipments available, years of researches can finally be materialized. All thanks to Sanofi Pasteaur that has come up with a cure will soon be available to all. Dengue deaths will soon be the thing of the past, now all we need is to be patient and the meantime play our part in helping to curb problems like preventing breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes and try to educate ourselves more on what's to come.

From far left: Dr. Shahnun Ahmad, Associate Prof. Zetti Zainol, Katherine Davis, Prof. Datin Chia Yook Chin and Baptiste de Clarens posing with illustrations based on their speeches done by Mustard Seed from Scribbilicious

This informative talk was presented by 4 experts in this field that has done many researches about dengue and human case studies as well.
Presenters was :-

Katherine Davis from France who lived about 11 years here in Malaysia, the managing director of IPOS presented about "Understanding Consumer Knowledge and Attitude".

Associate Prof. Zetti Zainol who is a senior lecturer & clinical microbiologist from Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine University Malaya Medical Centre, KL (p/s: my 2nd home lol!) presented about "Dengue Epidemiology" and specially focused on the latest (2014) evolvement of dengue.
Yes, not surprising if it starts to mutate someday, hopefully by then we have an actual cure for dengue.

Followed by Prof. Datin Chia Yook Chin who talked about "Statics in Dengue Management". She is a professor and a senior consultant from Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) KL.
P/s: No wonder she looks so familiar lol, might have bumped into her 1-2 times during my visits to UMMC.

Dr. Shahnun Ahmad and Associate Medical Director from Sanofi Pasteur Malaysia

Last but not least the speaker that presented us "The Future", okay sounds too overly dramatic but i seriously wasn't kidding.
Dr. Shahnun Ahmad and Associate Medical Director from Sanofi Pasteur Malaysia who introduced to us the possible cure for Dengue. Hopefully soon it will be approved and dengue can be something that can be easily cured off the shelves in pharmacies & hospitals.

About Sanofi Pasteaur 

Sanofi Pasteaur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, is a global company that provides more than one billion doses of vaccine each year, mng it possible to immunise more than 500 million people across the globe. A world leader of vaccine industry, Sanofi Pasteaur offers the broadest range of vaccines protecting against 20 infectious deseases. 

The company's heritage, to create vaccines that protect life, dates back more than a century. Every day, the company invests more than one million euros in research and developement. For more information, please visit www.sanofipasteur.com

Amazing illustrations from Mustard Seed visit: https://www.facebook.com/scribbilicious

XOXO,