45 minute commute too much for most Singaporeans

Workers in Singapore will grumble if they have to commute some distance to work, but they will readily pack their bags and fly to the ends of the earth for the right job, according to a poll by Kelly Services.

Two in three of more than 2,000 employees here polled by the recruitment firm said they were not prepared to commute more than 45 minutes each way to work, The Business Times reported yesterday.

Nearly eight in 10 of those polled would consider relocating to another country to work.

This shows that despite their reluctance to spend more time commuting, Singapore workers are highly mobile when it comes to securing the right job.

More than half - 56 per cent - of the workers polled were even ready to uproot and move to unfamiliar territories where they don’t speak the local lingo. (story)

17th case of chikungunya confirmed

The Ministry of Health has confirmed Singapore’s 17th case of the mosquito-borne disease, chikungunya, here.

He is Mr E. C. Sng, who caught the bug overseas. He believes he caught the virus while playing golf at Jakarta’s prestigious Jagorawi Golf & Country Club a month ago.

He has not passed on the disease to anyone and is no longer infectious.

So far, 13 people have been infected locally, and another four, including Mr Sng, caught the virus overseas.

Like dengue, chikungunya is spread through the Aedes mosquito. It spreads if an infected person is bitten by an Aedes mosquito within days of getting symptoms, which include fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, muscle ache, rash and pain in the joints. The mosquito spreads the virus to those it subsequently bites. (story)

Life as prostitute ends for teen

She is only 17 but has a bank balance of over RM80,000 ($34,450).

The secret as to how the teenager came to own so much cash came to light after she was hospitalised in Kuala Lumpur.

The first bombshell she dropped would have caused concern to any parent - her vagina was injured.

The second revelation: She sustained the injury while providing sexual services to a man from the Middle East.

Her third shocking confession was the money in her bank account. She had earned that by selling her body.

The teenager who hails from Terengganu had been offering sexual services in Kuala Lumpur since 2006, reported Harian Metro.

According to the tabloid, the girl charged between RM 2,000 and RM4,000 for her sexual services.

A source at her school told the newspaper that the revelations were shocking and only then some in the school understood why she made almost weekly trips to Kuala Lumpur.

Her double life was exposed when she didn’t turn up in school for several days in March. A teacher was asked to go to her house and investigate. (story)

HIV hits record in Singapore

The number of HIV cases in Singapore hit a record last year, according to figures monitored on Wednesday.

Statistics from the health ministry showed 422 people newly infected with the Aids virus in 2007, the highest number in a single year since records began in 1985.

About 93 per cent of those infected were males, and most of the infections were transmitted through sex, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

Nearly two-thirds of the infections occurred through heterosexual sex, while there were seven cases from intravenous drug use and one through a blood transfusion overseas, it said.

Most infections were detected during testing for some form of medical treatment, with only 13 per cent discovered during voluntary screening, it said.

The number of persons infected with HIV between 1985 and 2007 totalled 3,482, the ministry said, adding that 1,144 have died. (story)

“Untouchable” woman dies after refused treatment

An “untouchable” woman who gave birth outside an Indian hospital because doctors would not treat her died Thursday, a day after her baby, officials admitted.

The newborn boy of Maya Devi, 28, died Wednesday due to lack of medical help minutes after being born outside the maternity wing of Kanpur Medical College in northern Uttar Pradesh state.

Devi was only put in intensive care after giving birth but she died of a heart attack early Thursday morning.

Several doctors, including the hospital’s chief medical superintendent, had refused to touch her or provide medical care as she delivered her baby, the Press Trust of India reported. (story)

Suicide by detergent

A 14-year-old Japanese girl killed herself by mixing laundry detergent with cleanser, releasing fumes that also sickened 90 people in her apartment house.

Authorities say none of the sickened neighbours in Konan, southern Japan, were severely ill, although about 10 were hospitalized.

The deadly hydrogen sulfide gas escaped from the girl’s bathroom window and entered neighbouring apartments.

The girl’s suicide Wednesday night was part of an expanding string of similar deaths that experts say have been encouraged by Internet suicide sites. (story)

BPA still a concern for most expecting parents

All plastic bottles sold here are safe and no stores have been asked to stop selling them, the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said on Wednesday.

The announcement came after retailer Toys ‘R’ Us voluntarily pulled plastic baby bottles from its shelves on Tuesday in response to concerns that they might leach a potentially toxic chemical.

A representative of Toys ‘R’ Us here declined to comment on the decision. But it comes amid growing global worry over the safety of drink and food containers made from polycarbonate - a hard transparent plastic - which is produced using a chemical called bisphenol A or BPA.

A report by the United States National Institutes of Health, released a week ago, expressed concerns that BPA could affect brain development in infants and increase their risk of developing breast and prostate cancer later in life. (story)

Happiest person in Singapore, Andy Goh

Stressed-out Singapore named its happiest person on Thursday at a conference that aimed to make people in the city-state feel better. Andy Goh, 35, the manager of a local engineering company, was named “Singapore’s Happiest Person”.

His secret?

“A lot of times, happiness is not just money and stuff, so you’ve got to count your blessings: health, family, friends, helping other people,” Goh said after receiving 200 dollars (148 US) and a trip to the Thai resort island of Phuket.

The aptly named Philip Merry, chief executive of consulting firm Global Leadership Academy, began his search for Singapore’s most cheery resident last month. (story)

New anti smoking drug launched

Snubbing out that cigarette could become easier for smokers, with the launch of a new anti-smoking drug that helps to wean smokers off their nicotine addiction.

Developed by pharmaceutical firm, Pfizer, specially for smoking cessation, the drug Champix (varenicline), is a non-nicotine agent, which the company claims is the first new anti-smoking treatment here in nearly ten years.

Champix works by blocking nicotine receptors in the brain to relieve nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms. It also cut down on the feeling of pleasure the smoker has when he inhales.

Nicotine addiction is usually cited as the main stumbling block for those who wish to quit smoking. (story)

Chinese man dies after taking Power 1 Walnut sex drug

The illegal sexual-enhancement drug Power 1 Walnut has claimed its first fatality.

He was among the patients who developed serious adverse reactions after taking the made-in-China drug, said the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on Monday.

The middle-aged local Chinese man was taken to hospital in a coma state in early March. Investigations found that he had taken Power 1 Walnut.

‘The patient did not regain consciousness and eventually succumbed to pneumonia,’ said HSA in a statement.

The case is pending the coroner’s investigation.

‘There are also other patients who developed serious adverse drug reactions of seizures and unconsciousness with just a single ingestion of half a tablet of Power 1 Walnut. This demonstrates the highly toxic effects of this product,’ warned HSA. (story)