JANUARY-FEBRUARY , 2023 | THE HEALTH

| The Health says ... |

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Understanding the brain ’ s systems We have a limited amount of mental energy and the usage depends on whether we are using System 1 or System 2

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Remembering those who have trouble remembering Although dementia mainly affects older people , it is not an unavoidable consequence of ageing

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No major potential risks to vaccine recipients The NPRA received 370 AEFI reports for every one million doses of the Covid-19 vaccines

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Positive thinking and new beginnings A new paradigm shift is needed for our healthcare and education system in the Year of the Water Rabbit

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Pharmaceutical pollution and eco-toxicity Covid-19 has provided the impetus and catalyst for further acceleration in the growth of pharmaceutical industries leading to high-risk pollution across the world

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Make immunotherapy accessible in public hospitals Cancer patients with financial constraints might not be able to receive the immunotherapy treatment they need

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• Tribute to Malaysian anaesthetist

• Honorary Doctorate in Journalism for Johnson

• USM doctor receives international award

• Malaysian to receive MBE from King Charles

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Five things we now know about Multiple Myeloma Rates of this blood cancer have jumped but today , life expectancy has at least doubled in some cases , thanks to increased research , new learnings and innovative advances

The tourist dollar is a huge income earner for the economy , severely affected by the three-year pandemic . But at the same time , countries like China are seeing a new wave of Covid-19 infections .

News that tourists from China are leaving their country in droves is music to the ears of those in the tourist industry . But it also rings alarm bells for health authorities .

Recently , it was reported that more than half the passengers on a flight from China to Italy tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival . Inevitably , many countries , including Malaysia , became wary of welcoming China tourists .

Before the pandemic began in 2020 , China was the biggest source of foreign tourists for Asia , the US , Europe and the UK . Malaysia attracted three million Chinese tourists in 2019 , earning RM15.3 billion in revenue .

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing expects six million Chinese tourists this year , bringing in a potential revenue of RM30 billion . That ’ s huge , coming from one country alone .

Malaysia is also going big on Islamic Tourism , an attractive destination for Middle Eastern and other tourists . The Islamic Tourism Centre is promoting Malaysia as a Muslim-friendly destination .

So , do we impose restrictions on tourists , or do we allow them in and risk a spike in the number of infections ? Remember when the economy was seriously affected ( including tourism ) by each new wave of infections ? The country ’ s healthcare system also nearly collapsed

Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa is working with the other ministries to ensure inbound tourists comply with standard operating procedures ( SOPs ) for Covid-19 prevention . Inevitably , there might be differences in opinion among the Health , Tourism and Home Ministries . But the important thing is to work together for the nation ’ s benefit .

We have to learn to live with Covid-19 . Our preventive measures should balance safeguarding health and earning tourist dollars .

It ’ s good to be cautious , but there is no need to go overboard . There is a Malay saying : “ You don ’ t have to burn the mosquito net to get rid of the mosquitoes .”