Category: Featured Article English

The rapid spread of the Omicron variant has caused a spike in demand for COVID-19 self-test kits. Such demand has encouraged some people to sell fake or unapproved test kits that the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) is very concerned about. In a recent survey by CAP covering pharmacies, 7 Eleven, B Mart, sundry shops, and petrol stations, it was found that COVID-19 self-test kits were being...

On 15 March 2011, Malaysia announced a ban on polycarbonate bottles containing bisphenol A (BPA). The ban came into force in March 2012. The decision to ban these feeding bottles was taken due to BPA’s risk to infant hormone systems. According to Section 27A of the Food Regulations 1985: (1) No person shall import, manufacture or advertise for sale or sell any feeding bottles containing...

Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, announced that the Health Ministry (MoH) is planning to enact a new legislation – the Tobacco and Smoking Control Act (TSCA) – in parliament in 2022. It would be good if the government can eradicate smoking but the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) would like to caution MoH about the tobacco industry which may instead promote alternative ways to...

30 January 2022, Quezon City. A non-profit organization tracking harmful chemicals in products and wastes has cautioned consumers against buying lucky bracelets that are believed to attract good luck during the Year of the Water-Tiger. The EcoWaste Coalition issued the precautionary warning after analyzing red string and beaded bracelets adorned with a tiger figure that the group purchased from...

It was predicted that antibiotic resistant bacteria will kill more people than cancer (10 million yearly) by 2050. But that may happen earlier, according to a study. The latest study in the medical journal Lancet, concluded that in 2019, 4.95 million deaths were associated with drug-resistant bacterial infections, of which 1.27 million deaths were directly caused by antimicrobial resistance....

There is an urgent need for a proper system for public reporting and access to adverse drug reactions records in light of the recent incident of adverse reactions to vaccines reported in the Kajang Prison. In October 2021, the Kajang Prison authorities wrote to the Hulu Langat District Health Office, highlighting 18 cases of adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines, including 2 deaths, among...