NEWS FROM THE UAE
SOURCE : THE NATIONAL
Doctors call for cancer screens
DUBAI - MAY 14: Doctors have called for a national cervical cancer vaccination and screening programme to catch cases earlier and reduce the rate of the second most common cancer found in women, one that has seen progressively higher incidence in the UAE.
Cervical cancer affects 9.9 women in every 100,000, according to figures by Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD), almost twice the incidence in the broader Middle East, which amounts to nearly five in every 100,000.
It afflicts women at a rate second only to breast cancer, but 70 per cent of cases are diagnosed in the late stages. At that point, only one in three women has a chance of survival. There is no co-ordinated screening programme for cervical cancer in the UAE, as there is in countries where most cases are detected in the early stages.
Dr Saad Aswad is a senior consultant gynaecologist and oncologist – the only specialist of his kind in the UAE – at Tawam Hospital in Al Ain. He compiled a detailed report on a proposed screening programme for cervical cancer drawing on the expertise of more than 40 health professionals and forwarded it to the Ministry of Health in 2004. There has still been no move to implement any of the plans. MoH officials were not available yesterday to comment.
“We need to do something to protect the women,” Dr Aswad said. “Cervical cancer is a cancer we can prevent. Why are we not doing this across the country? If the Ministry of Health introduced it, I think everyone would follow.”
While schoolgirls in Abu Dhabi are offered the Gardasil vaccination for up to Dh50 (US$13.60) for the required three doses, it can cost up to Dh1,900 in Dubai and is not as widely available in other emirates.
Dr Aswad said the preventive vaccine should be available across the whole country.
“We must push for this to be nationwide. It is much easier to implement prevention than cure.”
HAAD said in April it planned to build on a successful pilot vaccination programme in schools and make the vaccine available to all schools in the Emirates.
Last year it vaccinated around 6,000 girls aged 17 and has given another 4,000 the first dose this year. There was a 70 per cent uptake during the pilot scheme. Dr Mawahib al Biate, head of the gynaecology department at the GMC Hospital in Ajman, said a national vaccination programme was needed in the UAE.
“Prevention is always better than the cure,” she said. “A national programme would be a very good idea because of the rates here.” She also said it did not make sense for such an important vaccine to be offered cheaply to some but not others.
In 1998 the MoH reported only eight diagnosed cases of cervical cancer in the country. Last year Tawam Hospital alone saw at least 100 cases, Dr Aswad said.
Recent studies into the efficacy of Gardasil, which was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2006, showed it was effective against the human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 for an average of eight and a half years. The women in the study, by the University of Washington in the US, were vaccinated in 2001, so more follow-up tests are needed to establish the length of protection. HPV 16 and 18 cause 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases worldwide. Gardasil, made by Merck, is licensed in 109 countries, but some of them find it more difficult to implement a vaccination programme, Dr Aswad said.
Health officials estimate one in 10 women will get an HPV infection in their lifetime, but it is more common in women under 30. Some strains are sexually transmitted, and questions have been asked in some countries about the moral issue of vaccinating young girls.
“Here cervical cancer is increasing out of proportion with the population growth,” Dr Aswad said. “It is time to start protecting the women.”
Dr Ibrahim Abd Elrahman, a consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician at The City Hospital in Dubai, applauded any effort to introduce a national vaccination programme. He saw many women who had never had a Pap smear. “Often I get someone in their late 20s or early 30s who say they have never had one. I organise one with their consent.”
Techies develop virtual Abu Dhabi
ABU DHABI - MAY 14: Programmers are developing a three-dimensional computer model of Abu Dhabi to help plan new buildings, predict traffic jams and train the police and emergency services.
The project, being developed by the Spatial Data Directorate of Abu Dhabi Municipality, will eventually include models for Al Ain and Al Gharbia.
Mustafa al Musawa, head of the directorate, said the virtual city was accurate to within five centimetres, and could also track how the skyline would change as new skyscrapers were built.
“By using this fourth dimension of time, we can see things as they were before, how they are now and how they will be,” he said.
“The 2030 plan for transport, for example, could be modelled so we can see how traffic might respond to different developments.
“We can use it to experience the future before it becomes a reality and make sure we get a built-up city that is balanced.
“It will help with emergency planning, to model different scenarios and see how quickly the emergency services could respond. Once completed, it will help give decision-makers the right information at the right time.”
He told delegates to the Geospatial Intelligence Middle East conference in Dubai this week that the public would have limited access but would be able to find restaurants, banks and other services quickly.
Government authorities, such as the planning department or emergency services, would work from the same model but with higher security clearance, allowing them access to more detailed information and features.
The model will be linked to a planned street address system that should eventually enable the home delivery of post. Emirates Post has said it intends to begin home deliveries in 2012, using a GPS-based addressing system.
“The key to this project is not the software, it’s the content,” Mr al Musawa said.
“We want users to be able to access the information they need as easily as using their mobile phone.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, he said a basic version of the model should be up and running next year, although it may take longer for some services to become available.
An area of Salam Street and the Corniche has been modelled for use in a demonstration video but is not ready for release to the public.
“At the moment we are still in the assessment stage, making sure our systems and measurements are up to the required level,” Mr al Musawa said.
“We aim to provide the foundation map that other authorities will then be able to use for their purposes.”
He said the other six emirates were working on similar projects, but that each was progressing at its own pace and, for now, they would not be linked to form a unified model of the country.
“We have a lot of communication and co-ordination with our colleagues in other emirates,” he said. “We are sharing and planning together.”
Marcin Kunka, a geographic information system adviser at Abu Dhabi City Municipality, said the map would allow visitors to “fly through” the capital and plan which attractions they wished to see.
“People would be able to take a virtual holiday around the city from the comfort of their own home,” he said.
“They would be able to see Abu Dhabi’s best sights and tourist attractions through their computer. It could have any number of applications; if it were acceptable to the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, people would be able to search tourist attractions and find hotels and restaurants before they even arrive here.
“I can imagine that images of some of our beautiful beaches and golf courses would definitely attract people and could increase the number of visitors.”
Officials did not provide details of how much the 3D project would cost.
Curbs on hammour sales to save stocks
DUBAI - MAY 14: Environment officials will soon begin restricting the sale of hammour in the country in an effort to stave off the extinction of the popular local fish, whose population has been dwindling rapidly.
Abdulla Abdulrazzaq, consultant to the assistant deputy minister for fisheries at the Ministry of Environment and Water, said the ministry intended to prohibit the sale of hammour under 45cm in length, the typical size at which they reach sexual maturity.
Hammour is one of a number of species highlighted as a priority for protection by the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI), following a dramatic fall in its population over two decades. Hammour stocks are estimated to be down to just three per cent of their natural levels, and scientists have blamed overfishing and a lack of regulation or regional policies that take into account migratory patterns.
“We are currently developing the regulation and this will have to be formally adopted by the ministry before it takes effect. The restriction will apply in fish markets and be enforced by municipality officials,” Mr Abdulrazzaq said.
“At this stage we do not want to interfere with fishing practices and hope that the restriction of sale will protect younger hammour. However, we may look to introduce stricter fishing regulations in future if is necessary to protect stocks.”
The potential restriction was largely welcomed at local fish markets, where vendors have witnessed a reduction in the volume and size of hammour being landed in recent years. Abdul Karim, a vendor at Abu Dhabi fish market, agreed the regulations were necessary to protect the species but said the size limit should be bigger.
“There has been too much fishing for hammour because it is the ‘number one fish’ here. The smaller fish seem to be especially popular and are more expensive per kilogram.”
Some hammour being sold yesterday were less than 20cm long and caught before they had the opportunity to reproduce. Edwin Grandcourt, fisheries investigations scientist at the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, argues that with hammour stocks so low, national restrictions are insufficient and a regional solution must be found.
“Historically, fishing in the UAE has been open access, and this has had a catastrophic affect on hammour and other species. The target must be to increase stocks to 40 per cent, which represents a sustainable population to meet the high demand in the country.”
He thought the size limit alone would have little impact on reviving populations.
“The 45cm restriction is being put in place because it roughly equates to the size of the fish when they reach sexual maturity,” he said.
“However, at this size the fish will only have been through one reproductive cycle, which is not sufficient to increase the overall population.
“In any case, restricting sale by size will not arrest the decline because even if fishermen are responsible and release smaller fish from their catch most will die anyway because of the trauma of being caught,” Mr Grandcourt said.
The emphasis must be on ensuring fishing gear and practices are regulated so younger fish are not caught in the first place, he said.
“Other countries in the region, such as Kuwait, have applied larger size limits and these need to be adopted, along with uniform regulations, across the region in order to see a revival of the species.”
The size restrictions are part of a broader national initiative to reverse the decline of hammour. An aquaculture “fish farm” programme has been implemented to produce young fish and release them into the sea.
The environment agency has halved the number of traps fishermen are allowed to use and stopped issuing new fishing licences. It has also decreed that all traps must be fitted with panels to allow juvenile fish to escape.
Several refuges have been created in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah where fishing is strictly prohibited to enable the species to breed. However, hammour remains under threat and the emphasis is shifting towards regional solutions.
The fifth session of RECOFI met in Dubai yesterday to discuss dwindling fish stocks and a consensus was reached that regional regulation and policy were needed to tackle the issue.
A regional action plan was agreed, including limiting the number of fishing licences, legislating against illegal and unregulated fishing, increasing the number and vigilance of port inspections, designating seasonal restrictions and marine protected areas and investigating solutions to red tide incursions.
A new regional database and electronic fish map were showcased at the meeting.
Cricketing legend returns
ABU DHABI - MAY 14: Crowd of more than 6,000 is expected at a cricket tournament in Abu Dhabi this weekend where India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will all be represented.
The best corporate and club level players in the UAE take part at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in the capital.
Organisers with the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation hope the SAARC-UAE Exchange Xpress Money Cup 2009 will lead to greater co-operation among the different communities in the UAE.
The legendary Indian cricketer Kapil Dev announced the event last night in Dubai in the presence of representatives from the Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian embassies. Admission is free.
“It is a great to be in the UAE again and be part of this SAARC initiative,” said Mr Dev, who is the only Indian captain to lead his team to a World Cup victory.
International players including the Sri Lankan batsman Marvan Attapattu, the leg-spinner Malinga Bandara and the Bangladeshi wicketkeeper Kaled Masud Pilot have also been invited to take part in the event. Diplomats agreed that it would promote better relations.
“The SAARC-UAE group was initiated by ambassadors of the countries in Abu Dhabi. We earlier organised a film festival, and this cricket tournament is the second initiative. This is certainly good for the embassies as well as the communities, and we hope it will encourage more co-operation,” said Faisal Niaz Timizi, counsellor at the Pakistani embassy.
Organisers said yesterday that cricket-lovers would be able to see six qualifiers tomorrow, followed by the finals on Friday. The games will be 12-over matches played in the Twenty20 format.
Conman tried to sell black $100 bills
DUBAI - MAY 14: A Ghanaian man admitted yesterday that he had tried to sell a policeman fake US$100 bills.
The man, OS, 32, was duped into giving the officer $1,300 in counterfeit, black-coated bills, the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance heard. He was later found to have a further 532 fake $100 bills.
The court was told Dubai Police had received a tip-off that the defendant had a trunk containing $27 million in fake bills at the Cargo Village of Dubai International Airport.
An officer working undercover arranged to meet him in a hotel car park near the airport with Dh20,000 in marked notes, the amount the defendant said he needed to release the trunk.
On Feb 22, the officer met OS, who handed him an envelope containing 13 fake $100 bills and printed instructions on how to wash the coating off. At that point OS was arrested.
Police found 532 fake bills in the defendant’s car, as well as a computer containing images of banknotes and a printer at his home in Sharjah.
“I am sorry, I will not do it again,” OS told Judge Fahmi Mounir. “I only did it to help my daughter. She is going blind and needs treatment.” The case was reserved for judgment on May 31.