Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 01-06-02

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cyprus-mail.com/>

Saturday, June 2, 2001

CONTENTS

[01] Shock to lung caused death of boy, 14

[02] Government backs down on tobacco ad ban

[03] Ministry refutes claims against Limassol school water

[04] Whelan secures record compensation for sacking by Olympiakos

[05] New sex drugs could offer stiff competition to Viagra

[06] Petrol prices go up

[07] Rally car sets fire to Paphos forest

[08] Louis and Helios team up for direct Majorca packages

[01] Shock to lung caused death of boy, 14

THE RESULTS of tissue tests yesterday showed the death of a 14-year-old Nicosia boy over a month ago was caused by a shocked lung. Giorgos Hadjidemetris, from Yeri, died on the operating table during routine surgery to clean an infected wound in his buttocks.

The findings of the tests, carried out at the Tissue Institute of the Royal Hospital in London, were announced at a news conference yesterday by State Pathologist Eleni Antoniou, putting an end to endless speculation about how and why the boy died.

The cause of death, however, leaves a lot of unanswered questions as to why the boy's condition deteriorated to such a degree when his injury was not even life-threatening.

Giorgos had been injured by a piece of rusty metal late in April. He was taken to hospital where the wound was stitched up. But his parents, who cried foul since day one, claim the doctor who treated the wound did not give it proper attention.

They allege that it was not cleaned properly, just wiped with a piece of cotton with antiseptic on it. Four days later the boy had to be taken back to hospital suffering from high fever and pain in the wound area. He underwent surgery on the same day and his wound was opened and cleaned.

Giorgos was kept in hospital and treated intravenously with antibiotics.

Three days later, and with the infection getting worse, doctors deemed it necessary for the boy's wound to be cleaned again, but he died on the operating table.

Doctors at the hospital said all necessary tests and precautions had been carried out, but could not explain why the boy died. However, two days later, pathologists carrying out a post mortem found a piece of fabric, which was later found to be from the boy's clothes, lodged in the wound.

Pathologist Marios Matsakis, who had observed the post mortem on behalf of the family said then that it was the piece of fabric which was causing the protracted infection to Giorgos' wound. The cloth had not previously been found by doctors in three occasions when they were treating the 14-year- old.

Yesterday's announcement that the boy died from a shocked lung confirmed that he did, in fact, die from the infection. In lay terms, the shocked lung was because a mass of small particles of infected material caused a blockage of small vessels, which in turn brought about the shock.

Yesterday, Antoniou was careful to steer clear of assigning any blame. .

She said the death was caused by the infection, not a surgery complication, but it was not her job to point the finger.

"I cannot assign responsibility. That's the job of the death inquest," she said. "My job was to find why he died."

The cause of death is crucial to determine a case of possible negligence in criminal and administrative investigations currently under way.

Matsakis yesterday refused to comment on the findings, arguing that the Health Ministry did not inform him of the findings. "I am mot going to evaluate the findings as they were announced through the media," he said.

But he was adamant that there was negligence in the case. "There are responsibilities, that's clear," he said. "Even the minister (of health) said that you cannot go into hospital with a small injury and come out dead."

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

Features

[02] Government backs down on tobacco ad ban

DESPITE promises of tough new anti-tobacco laws, the government has backed down on plans to introduce a blanket ban on tobacco advertising, after the European Court of Justice ruled the EU directive was illegal last October.

The government had last year vowed to ban all tobacco advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products by August 1 this year.

But the court ruled the issue was best left to national governments, saying the commission had overstepped its prerogatives in ordering the ban.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Health told the Cyprus Mail yesterday the draft legislation complying with anti-tobacco directives was being prepared by the Attorney-general's office - with the article for a complete advertising ban removed.

The European Court annulled the directive eight months ago, on the grounds that it exceeded the legal basis on which it was adopted.

The replacement directive, announced on Wednesday by the European Commission, would outlaw tobacco advertising in print media, on the radio and the Internet, but not in cinemas, on posters or 'indirect' advertising.

The directive also fails to ban tobacco sponsorship at national or local events, despite making it illegal at cross-border events.

"The sad truth is that smoking kills over half a million EU citizens per year, robbing people of years of life expectancy. The industry uses advertising and promotion activities to recruit new smokers to replace these 'lost' customers," said David Byrne, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection.

Less than 24 hours after he promised "tough new laws" on smoking, Permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health Symeon Matsis yesterday told Cyprus Mail that he was unaware of the content of the new directive, adding that Cyprus "will have to adopt whatever comes out of the European Union."

The European Parliament and the European Council must pass the new directive before it can come into effect.

Even then, it will face the usual two-year transposition period before it is enshrined in member states' legislation.

Matsis admitted that it was very difficult to say when the new law would be implemented in Cyprus.

The government has already complied with EU regulations that limit the tar content in cigarettes to 12mg or less, as of January 1 this year.

A law that prohibits smoking in public places is widely flouted, without punishment. A police campaign issued summary on the spot £20 fines last July, but has since dried up.

Byrne is working towards a Council Recommendation dealing that would stick health warnings on automatic vending machines, keep such machines out of reach of under-age customers and monitor the promotion of tobacco products.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

Features

[03] Ministry refutes claims against Limassol school water

CLAIMS that drinking water in Limassol elementary schools was contaminated with bacteria were officially refuted yesterday by a State Laboratory test, with the Ministry of Health saying the water was "crystal clear."

Tests run last week by a private lab, SK Euromarket, found that the water supply at one Limassol elementary school was contaminated with excessive bacteria levels. The tests were prompted by concerned parents after the recent outbreak of meningitis in Limassol. The lab carried out tests at four elementary schools in total.

The meningitis scare has been concentrated in Limassol, with 51 out of 57 viral meningitis cases on the island recorded in the town. The latest victim to develop a high fever and headache was a student at Soleas Gymnasium in Limassol, creating panic among parents and pupils, who abandoned the school.

But the Health Ministry has denied any link between drinking water and meningitis, saying the disease is spread from person to person and advising it can be checked by observing basic hygienic precautions.

Health Minister Frixos Savvides yesterday said there was "no link whatsoever" between the water and the meningitis outbreak. He went on to say that the private lab had not been authorised to carry out the tests and questioned the validity of the results, saying the report was signed by a chemical engineer -- suggesting the persons behind the tests were not the most qualified. "The State Lab tests that came in today showed the water at the (elementary) school is crystal-clear clean," he added.

Giorgos Tsangarides, headmaster at the Limassol school where the tests were carried out, yesterday confirmed to the Cyprus Mail the water was completely safe to drink. But on Thursday, before the State Lab results were in, Health Department staff had visited the school and distributed bottled water to the students.

In explaining the two reports' different findings, the president of the Limassol district Parent Teacher Association Dinos Ellinas pointed to different sampling methods. He noted the samples used by the private company were taken from running water from a storage tank, used to keep drinking water whenever there were water cuts.

The samples taken by the State Lab, he went on to say, were straight from the pipeline system and not the tanks. "It was found that the tanks storing water for drinking are not regularly inspected, which means bacteria quickly accumulates to hazardous levels." He went on to defend the validity of the private company's report, noting that the students at his school were back to drinking the water on the premises.

But official reassurances may not prove enough to allay parents' concerns, as the majority of meningitis infections occur during the summer months. Local press reports yesterday noted that more and more parents were voicing complaints and insisting their children be provided with bottled water while at school.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

Features

[04] Whelan secures record compensation for sacking by Olympiakos

OLYMPIACOS Nicosia have been stung by an order to pay £94,000 in compensation to their former coach, Irishman Ronnie Whelan, for breaching his contract when they sacked him two months ago.

"It is the largest amount ever awarded by the tribunal of the Cyprus Football Association in compensation for a football manager," Whelan's lawyer, Christos Triantafyllides said yesterday.

The Cyprus Football Association (KOA) tribunal ordered the football club to pay the former Liverpool star all the wages he would have got had he been allowed to see out his contract till the end of next season. The tribunal also told Olympiacos to pay Whelan the £15,000 bonus promised in his contract if the team finished high enough in the table to qualify for European competition next season. "The bonus was awarded even though Whelan was sacked before the time of qualification," Triantafyllides said.

Whelan appealed to the tribunal for loss of pay after he was sacked in March, with just three games of the season left to play. Whelan was axed after a run of bad results. But Olympiacos eventually finished second in the table, qualifying to represent Cyprus in the UEFA cup next season.

Trintafyllides said Olympiacos had refused to agree to an out-of-court settlement with his client. "We offered them a deal to pay £80,000 over a period of one year and they refused. The £94,000 they have to pay immediately," the lawyer said.

"The tribunal fully accepted the evidence put before it by Mr Whelan and dismissed the evidence of Mr (Christoforos) Tornaritis, the Olympiacos chairman," Triantafyllides said. "Tornaritis was claiming that the dismissal was justified and that they should deduct £40,000 from the claim to cover shares Mr Whelan had bought from him - something the tribunal dismissed outright," the lawyer said.

There was no comment on the tribunal's decision from the Nicosia club yesterday.

The circumstances of Whelan's dismissal remain a bit of a mystery. According to Triantafyllides, his client was shown the door for "no reason".

Whelan took over at Olympiacos three seasons ago and managed to transform a club languishing at the bottom of the table into a top-five contender. Serb Toza Saburic, the former coach of Anorthosis Famagusta, took his place at Olympiacos.

Reuters reported yesterday that the Irishman was widely tipped to take over as coach of Anorthosis Famagusta, who approached him a month ago.

Whelan made his name as a footballer with the great Liverpool team of the eighties, bursting onto the scene as a free-scoring left-sided midfielder before switching to a more defensive central midfield role. He was a regular international, appearing in the green of Ireland 53 times between 1981 and 1995.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[05] New sex drugs could offer stiff competition to Viagra

AFTER proving a roaring success the world over, Viagra may face some stiff competition with the impending approval of a new generation of anti- impotence pills, such as Uprima and Ixense.

The drugs have made headlines of late following favourable rating for Ixense from the European Medications Evaluation Agency (EMEA).

The EMEA opinion is an important first step towards authorising the apomorphine drugs for sale in Europe in the very near future.

An official at the Health Ministry's Pharmaceutical Services Department told the Cyprus Mail that if things go well for the drug in Europe, approval in Cyprus is likely to follow soon.

The arrival of the new medications promises to satisfy unmet desires on Isle of Aphrodite, where, according to figures published in Simerini on Thursday, 20 per cent of the adult male population suffers from impotence.

"I believe we are about the first in the world for Viagra usage," Nicos Neophytou, a representative for Viagra Cyprus' Viagra distributing company, Geo Pavlides and Araouzos, told the Cyprus Mail.

Neophytou reports that approximately 30,000 boxes of Viagra were snapped up in the past year and that his company feels that sales of the drug have been "very satisfying" for the company.

It remains to be seen whether Ixense and Uprima will be successful in tapping into the market for erectile dysfunction cures.

Just like Viagra, the new drugs, if approved, would be available by prescription following a medical examination. Ixense and Uprima are brand names for the generic drug apomorphine.

Apomorphine works by suppressing a part of the brain that controls the body's smooth muscle contractions, says the Webmd site. Curbing those contractions allows more blood to flow throughout the body, and in particular through the male member.

Viagra affects the vascular system more directly, temporarily widening arteries to achieve the same results.

Another difference is how the drugs are taken. While the Viagra pill is swallowed, the Uprima lozenge is meant to dissolve under the tongue.

Because Uprima bypasses the stomach to enter the bloodstream directly, it takes effect much more quickly than Viagra, an average of about 20 minutes. Viagra, by contrast, must be taken and hour or so in advance.

The methods of ingestion also explain why Viagra will lose its effectiveness when taken on a full stomach while Uprima or Ixense will not.

Makers of the apomorphine drugs claim it has the added bonus of taking effect independently of desire or stimulation and boasts that it can be taken several times a day with repeated success.

Despite these differences, a study carried out by the New England Journal of Medicine found that both Uprima and Viagra are between 50 and 60 per cent effective.

Asked if he was worried about possible new competition for his company, Neophytou said, "we are waiting, but I believe if somebody has a problem, they can take both Viagra and Uprima." In other words, it is possible that the two drugs will not be direct competitors, but may be taken in tandem for increased effect.

But Themis Anastassiou, a representative of the company that distributes Abott pharmaceuticals - the producers of Uprima -- disagreed: "It is a different product in the sense that it is a different substance that acts and works differently, but it's for the same indication."

In any event, only time will tell who, if anybody, comes out on top in this debate.

Anastassiou says that after the approval and local licensing steps, they expect to see the apomorphine drugs hit the Cypriot market late this year or early next year.

However, many health professionals remain sceptical if not outright opposed to the new forms of treatment for erectile dysfunction. In an open letter to the Director of the United States Food and Drug Administration's Centre for Drug Evaluation and Research, Dr. Janet Woodcock, a doctor and a pharmacist from the Public Citizen's Health Research Group alleged that Uprima, "has been shown to be only marginally effective at the lower dose and to have significant, life-threatening toxicity at the higher dose."

Studies also suggest that Uprima and Ixense may cause mild to severe nausea in about 15 per cent of patients.

The Cyprus Mail contacted several Nicosia-area urologists about the new treatments. Most of them were aware of the apomorphine drugs, but knew of no medical studies that would indicate how effective it would be in combating erectile dysfunction.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[06] Petrol prices go up

PETROL pump prices went up by 1.1 cents a litre across the board yesterday. The price hike had been expected, due to the high price of crude and the Cyprus pound's low pegging against the US dollar.

Commerce Minister Nicos Rolandis signed a relevant directive yesterday morning. "Maximum prices for petrol and diesel go up by 1.1 cents a litre as from today, in keeping with a directive from the Commerce Minister," a government announcement stated.

The ministerial directive was issued according to the provisions of an automatic pump price adjusting mechanism approved by parliament last year.

The mechanism allows for the monthly review of pump prices to keep track of fluctuations in the price of Brent crude and the US dollar-Cyprus pound exchange rate.

Brent crude was last month riding high at around $29 a barrel, while the Cyprus pound was low against the dollar, selling for less than $1.50.

"It is not just an issue of the government decision, but a matter of implementing the law voted in by the House of Representatives, on the basis of which there is an upwards or downwards adjustment in prices," Rolandis explained on Thursday, saying a price hike was on the cards.

The automatic pump price adjustment mechanism was brought in to reduce the need for government subsidies for fuel imports. But the Commerce Ministry yesterday said it was still having to subsidise crude imports to the tune of £31.5 million last year and £8.2 million this year so far.

The automatic price adjusting mechanism is due to be reviewed by the new parliament after it convenes later this month.

The higher petrol pump prices announced yesterday are:

+ 98 octane 'Super' petrol: up to 45.1 cents a litre

+ 92 octane 'Regular' petrol: up to 43 cents a litre

+ Unleaded 98 octane 'Super" petrol: up to 45.1 cents a litre

+ 95 octane unleaded petrol: up to 43 cents a litre

+ Kerosene: up to 18.2 cents a litre

+ Diesel: up to 18.2 cents a litre

+ Low Sulphur diesel: up to 22.6 cents a litre.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[07] Rally car sets fire to Paphos forest

A CYPRUS Rally car yesterday set fire to Ayia forest in the Paphos district after crashing off the road rolling over and bursting into flames.

The driver and co-driver escaped unhurt, but flames quickly licked the neighbouring trees and scrub in the heartland of the Paphos forest, near Stavros tis Psokas, spreading rapidly in the midday sun.

Two Kamov 32 helicopters, recently rented by the government, were sent into action to pour water on the fire from the air.

It took just under two hours to get the fire under control and by late afternoon Paphos police were able to confirm that a large area of forest was burnt.

A second fire was also started by a burning rally car in Mesa Potamos, between Moniatis and Platres in the Troodos forest, but fire fighters brought it under control almost straight away.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[08] Louis and Helios team up for direct Majorca packages

LOUIS Tourist Agency, in association with Helios Airways, is offering tour packages to Majorca for the first time from Cyprus.

Helios will fly direct from Larnaca to the Spanish Balearic island every Thursday over the summer season.

Majorca is about a third the size of Cyprus in size with a population of 240,000.

With a wide variety of outdoor activities and a busy nightlife, the island is more than just sun and sand. It also has a rich cultural background with museums and castle for visitors to see.

Helios will operate the flights on their recently purchased Boeing 747-800.

Package costs start from £315 per person including five star hotel accommodation, transfers and plane tickets.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

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