Antibiotic resistance is uncommon in paediatric community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in Malaysia. However, with the increased use of antibiotics, there is a risk of penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumonia (PRSP) pneumonia which results in antibiotic treatment failure. We report here a case of CAP complicated by empyema, caused by PRSP, which presented as acute respiratory distress in a 19-month-old boy.
Penicillin ; Antibiotics ; Streptococcus pneumoniae ; Pneumonia ; capsule (pharmacologic)

Caregivers may experience the need for information, social support, a range of services and financial support in caring for children with disabilities. However, some of these needs are unmet. This study aims to determine the perceived unmet needs among caregivers of children with disabilities at the Community-based Rehabilitation centre (CBR). A cross-sectional study was carried out among a total of 337 caregivers, who were recruited from 12 CBR centres in Selangor. The unmet needs were assessed using Family Needs Survey (FNS) questionnaire, which included six subscales of needs such as need for information, social support, community services, explaining to others, financial support and family functioning. Caregivers identified the need for information that the child might receive in the future as their greatest need (94.4%) and the least was the need for getting more counseling or help in getting a job (16.3%). The mean score for the overall unmet needs was 18.67 (SD=7.623). Out of six subscales of FNS, the need for information had the highest rating which was 98.3%, followed by need for social support (93.4%), need for community services (84.0%), need for financial support (79.9%), need for family functioning (61.8%) and need for explaining to others (46.2%). The unmet needs varied within the subscales. Therefore, more effective intervention programs are needed in community-based rehabilitation centres to match or reduce those varied unmet needs in order to allow caregivers to provide better care for their children with disabilities.

Introduction: Health care workers (HCW) are constantly exposed to blood-borne illnesses through needle stick injuries (NSI). Despite the increasing trend of NSI, evidence regarding the actual practice of universal precautions among these HCWs is lacking. This study assessed the practice of universal precautions towards prevention of NSI among HCWs in a teaching hospital setting. Methods: This cross-sectional survey involved a newly-designed self-completed questionnaire assessing demographic data, exposure to NSI and practice of universal precautions. Questionnaires were distributed to every ward and completed questionnaires were collected after a period of 7 days. Results: A total of 215 HCWs responded to the survey. 35.8% were exposed to bodily fluid, with 22.3% had NSI in the last 12 months. Blood taking was the commonest procedure associated with NSI. Of practices of universal precautions, recapping needle and removing needle from syringe were still wrongly practiced by the HCWs assessed. Conclusion: NSI among HCW are still common despite the introduction of universal precautions in our hospital. Incorrect practices in handling sharps should be looked into in order to reduce the incidence of blood-borne illnesses through NSI in the hospital.