Anti-malaria pills replaced after NS man's death
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SINGAPORE: A common anti-malaria pill given to about 30,000 servicemen every year since 1985 has been taken off the inventory following the death of a full-time national serviceman who developed complications after taking the drug.
Mr Muhammad Sufian Jamil, 18, was undergoing Basic Military Training at Pulau Tekong when a rare drug-induced disease � Dapsone Hypersensitivity Syndrome � struck him down. He died of liver and organ failure on February 1 last year.
After his enlistment on December 3, 2005, Mr Muhammad Sufian was administered the anti-malaria drug, Maloprim, on seven separate occasions. He started to develop a cough, fever, rash and headache and sought treatment at the Pulau Tekong Medical Centre on six occasions.
On January 15 last year, he sought treatment at Alexandra Hospital (AH) after developing a fever and rash.
He was then in a stable condition and was given an appointment to see a dermatologist about a week later. His condition had deteriorated further when he returned to AH on January 23.
In view of his worsening liver condition, he was admitted to the hospital and later transferred to National University Hospital (NUH) on the same day.
At NUH, dermatologists and the infectious diseases and liver transplant teams treated him. But his condition declined, developing multi-organ failure before eventually dying.
On Wednesday, State Coroner Ronald Gwee ruled a misadventure verdict on Mr Muhammad Sufian's death. Citing reports from two medical experts, the District Judge ruled out any negligence on the part of the physicians who provided "aggressive supportive treatment" to the deceased.
Consultant dermatologist Dr Lim Kah Beng's report noted that Mr Muhammad Sufian's case was "unusual", as the "complaints were more of a flu-like illness".
In an investigation report read out in court, Chief Army Medical Officer Colonel Dr Benjamin Seet said that Maloprim "had been very effective in preventing malaria amongst SAF troops training on Pulau Tekong and overseas". Prior to the incident, the drug "had a good safety profile in the SAF" and the serviceman's death was "unprecedented".
The court also heard of steps taken by the SAF to address the situation after a forensic report attributed Mr Muhammad Sufian's death to one of Maloprim's components.
SAF doctors were educated on the rare condition through a medical advisory and lecture.
An independent expert panel to review the SAF's anti-malaria policy was also convened last October. Based on its recommendations, Maloprim was replaced with two other drugs -
Think I recall reading somewhere in NS portal recently that chemoprophylactic treatment no longer required for Tekong. Can't seem to find the source now.
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YES and NO.Originally posted by Obersturmfuhrer:Think I recall reading somewhere in NS portal recently that chemoprophylactic treatment no longer required for Tekong. Can't seem to find the source now.
I read the directive.
But the directive also mentioned its not needed for ppl who do not intend to spend the night in Tekong.
Which I do not understand since that was the directive since last time too. -
so wat are the 2 new drugs its replaced with?
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mefloquine?
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mefloquine and doxycycline. i think.
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how effective is doxycycline?Originally posted by kensongs:mefloquine and doxycycline. i think.
as far as i know it is actually a anti-biotic but can also double as anti-malarial drug -
sorry i not too sure too. just read up b4 tt doxycycline is used for malaria prophylaxis.
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It seems in the recent years so many SAF deaths have occurred...
Sad. -
scary
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hmm... a heavenly power is against the lee dynasty?
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no compensation?
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Got lah, sure got compensation one, just that papers dun report...
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they should just abolish the anti malaria pills la.
i think its not necessary, based on experience.
hehe. -
Locally from a report/annoucement thingy that i've read it will be by 2008 with the new anti mozzie uniforms. However it states that troops going overseas still gotta take it.Originally posted by alwaysdisturbed:they should just abolish the anti malaria pills la.
i think its not necessary, based on experience.
hehe. -
and i meant locally.Originally posted by |-|05|:Locally from a report/annoucement thingy that i've read it will be by 2008 with the new anti mozzie uniforms. However it states that troops going overseas still gotta take it.
i think its still necessary for overseas training. -
The report strikes me as being very distatesful. This is a personal tragedy but the report glosses over that and provides nothing more than an opportunity for the SAF to defend itself.
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maloprim is the cheapest in the world...
even the Sri Lankan Army uses a more expensive and better kind of malaria pill -
Not an expert, but I think the Govt is kiasu over this, actually. Go read up on Dapsone Hypersensitivity Syndrone, which was the condition the Malay NSF suffered from. It's very rare, said to mostly occur in leprosy patients on multidrug therapy.
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yeah agreed tt it's very very rare, but our government can't afford to let this happen again.
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The expensive one is Roche Lariam.Originally posted by Rockhound:maloprim is the cheapest in the world...
even the Sri Lankan Army uses a more expensive and better kind of malaria pill
SAF uses it only for G6PD service personnel.
It retails at $6-7 a pop.
There was once the Coy 2IC indented wrongly and for 2 months the coy was taking Lariam...
regardless, nobody took note of it... haha -
remember the rumors about maloprim causing lowered sex drive ? ....
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it is indented by company? Not the unit MO or RQ?Originally posted by Ponders:There was once the Coy 2IC indented wrongly and for 2 months the coy was taking Lariam... -
sounds like a kind of chocolate!Originally posted by Ponders:The expensive one is Roche Lariam.
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Tekong has been declared malaria-free, so chemoprophylaxis has been stopped since April this year. I'm going back to Tekong next week, no antimalarials have been indented, so I assume chemoprophylaxis is still stopped. They did issue permethrin though.Originally posted by Ponders:The expensive one is Roche Lariam.
SAF uses it only for G6PD service personnel.
It retails at $6-7 a pop.
There was once the Coy 2IC indented wrongly and for 2 months the coy was taking Lariam...
regardless, nobody took note of it... haha
Lariam is mefloquine, the once-a-week antimalarial drug issued to most servicemen in Tekong, not just those who have G6PD. Maybe they ordered Lariam instead of the generic, but the generic looks quite cheap.
The other drug is doxycycline, taken once every day. Mefloquine is contraindicated in epilepsy, depression, mood disorders and anxiety. Neither drug is contraindicated in G6PD.