Executive Summary Vaping has emerged as a growing public health and security crisis in Malaysia. Once promoted as a safer alternative to smoking, vaping is now strongly linked to nicotine addiction, youth uptake, serious health harms, and even drug abuse. The enforcement of the Akta Kawalan Produk Merokok Demi Kesihatan Awam 2024 (Act 852), effective…
All posts in Public Health
Statistics and Machine Learning in Public Health: When to Use What
If you’re trained in epidemiology or biostatistics, you likely think in terms of models, inference, and evidence. Now, with machine learning entering the scene, you’re probably hearing about algorithms that can “predict” disease, “detect” outbreaks, and “learn” from data. But while ML offers exciting possibilities, it’s important to understand how it differs from classical statistical…
Good and Evil of AI in Medicine: Where Is the Boundary?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the field of medicine, offering unprecedented opportunities to improve healthcare delivery, diagnosis, and population health management. However, with its promise comes a risk of harm, particularly when AI systems are poorly designed, implemented without appropriate safeguards, or driven by commercial interests at the expense of public good. This paper…
The Evolution of Causality in Understanding Disease
Understanding causality has always been central to the quest for knowledge about health and disease. From the philosophical inquiries of Aristotle to the precision of modern causal inference frameworks, our ideas about what causes disease and how to intervene have evolved through centuries of intellectual effort. This article traces that journey, highlighting key contributions from…
Why Vaping Is More Dangerous Than Cigarette Smoking And Why We Must Act Now
Introduction Vaping was once promoted as a safer alternative to smoking. However, emerging evidence indicates that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) may pose equal or even greater health risks compared to traditional cigarettes, particularly among youth. Unlike conventional tobacco products, vape liquids often contain a complex mix of chemicals, heavy metals, and flavouring agents that can bypass…
Separating Prescriptions and Medicines: Can It Reduce Healthcare Costs?
Healthcare costs in Malaysia are rising, and one of the main reasons is the high price of medicines. A policy that is often discussed as a possible solution is dispensing separation (DS). This means doctors will only diagnose and prescribe medicines, while pharmacists will be the ones to supply the medicines. Right now in Malaysia,…
The Evolution of Research on Vape
The increasing prevalence of vaping, particularly among adolescents and young adults, has sparked significant research interest in its potential health implications, especially regarding mental health and addiction. This synthesis aims to chronologically highlight the progression of research on the dangers of vaping by organizing studies according to emerging questions and findings. In early studies, concerns…
Training Critical Thinking and Logical Thinking in the Age of AI for Biostatistics and Epidemiology
The arrival of generative AI tools like ChatGPT is changing the way we teach and practise biostatistics and epidemiology. Tasks that once took hours, like coding analyses or searching for information, can now be completed within minutes by simply asking the right questions. This development brings many opportunities, but it also brings new challenges. One…
Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the Light of Divine Unity
In the Islamic worldview, knowledge is not categorised into ‘Islamic’ and ‘secular.’ There is only one knowledge — al-‘ilm — bestowed by Allah, whether discovered through divine revelation (wahy) or human reason (‘aql). All beneficial knowledge should ultimately draw us closer to Allah, the All-Knowing. This article explores the field of epidemiology and biostatistics through…
A Decade Too Soon: Uniting Tawhid and Public Health for Malaysia’s Future
Jamalludin Ab Rahman Malaysia is facing a silent but accelerating epidemic. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not only the leading cause of death in the country, but it is also affecting Malaysians a decade earlier than in advanced nations (APAC CVD Alliance, 2024). Nearly one in four CVD patients was under the age of 50 in…