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A sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in countries that have recently emerged from lockdowns is now sparking concerns of a possible resurgence in coronavirus infections. Globally, many are fixated on the number of daily reported cases as they are often regarded as indicators of second waves of infection, which may potentially lead to lockdowns. “However, the measure of a country’s ability to manage the COVID-19 outbreak goes beyond a simplistic focus on daily case numbers – an indicator which dangerously ignores the impact of the outbreak on the economy andRead more

1,375 dengue cases were reported last week, making it the highest number of weekly cases ever recorded in Singapore since 2014. The record-breaking figure suggests that Singapore might be heading for a big year, wrote Assistant Professor Hannah Clapham in a commentary zooming in on our battle against two outbreaks: COVID-19 and Dengue. While the ‘circuit breaker’ has managed to reduce person-to-person contact thereby stabilising the COVID-19 outbreak, it seems to be doing the opposite for dengue, which spreads from human-to-mosquito-to-human. Dr Clapham noted that a combination of factors mayRead more

Crowds return to the streets as Singapore enters phase two of re-opening last Friday. However, experts urge members of the public to remain cautious as the virus still lurks in the community. Dean, Professor Teo Yik Ying said, “While it is understandable that people want to return to some degree of normalcy in their lives, the reality is there is a much higher risk of being infected when people mingle in crowds.” Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, Programme Leader (Infectious Diseases), commented that such crowding “could potentially lead to aRead more

The School is pleased to announce that Associate Professor Legido-Quigley and Assistant Professor Mary Chong are recipients of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health Faculty Awards for the Academic Year 2018/19. Assoc Prof Legido-Quigley is the recipient of the SSHSPH Outstanding Researcher Award AY2018/2019. This award recognises top deserving researchers who have achieved a consistent track record of research excellence and impact in their area of expertise. Dr Chong has been awarded the SSHSPH Teaching Excellence Award AY2018/2019, which recognises faculty members who have excelled in teaching, and haveRead more

Recently, two of the world’s most prestigious medical journals each retracted an article about treatment of patients with COVID-19. In a ScienceTalk contribution to The Straits Times, Associate Professor Mikael Hartman and Professor Lee Chuen Neng elaborated on the process of the publication and dissemination of scientific work, and discussed how critical errors can be missed when journals publish hastily generated reports. The peer review process is a lengthy one that ensures high-quality work is published in the best, most transparent and fairest way. Papers usually go through several iterationsRead more

Tychan, a biotechnology firm based in Singapore, has developed a monoclonal antibody, TY027, as a potential treatment for COVID-19. It will embark on phase one of its human clinical trials next week. Monoclonal antibodies are immune system proteins that are created in the laboratory, and can be specially engineered to target and inactivate a virus before it causes an infection. “Cells are engineered to produce this single antibody in large numbers to be delivered as a therapeutic,” said Assistant Professor October Sessions. “This makes it different from other antibody treatments,Read more

Dengue infections this year surged past the 10,000 mark this week. The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on its website: “This is the highest number of cases for the same period of the year since 2013, the largest outbreak year recorded in Singapore’s recent history.” As we enter the traditional dengue peak season (typically from May to October), NEA warned that weekly dengue case numbers are likely to continue to rise, with the warmer weather facilitating growth of the Aedes mosquito population and transmission of the dengue virus. A combinationRead more

Researchers have developed a model that can estimate regional disease burden and the impact of vaccination, even in the absence of robust surveillance data, a study in eLife reveals. The report highlights areas that would have the greatest benefit from initiating a vaccination programme against the virus, Japanese encephalitis (JE). This will in turn guide rational assessment of the cost and benefit of vaccinations, and support policymaker decisions on allocating vaccines. JE is a viral infection of the brain transmitted by mosquitoes. It is endemic in Asia-Pacific countries, with threeRead more

More than 370,000 people worldwide have succumbed to COVID-19 and the toll continues to rise as the virus spreads globally. While many have compared the current pandemic to SARS, experts now believe that the disease will be around for some time, unlike the latter. “If it (COVID-19) were as severe as SARS, it would be much more controllable, and far fewer people (in absolute numbers) would have died and be yet to die. COVID-19 is possibly at the worst point on the severity spectrum – mild enough that it canRead more

Some may perceive Phase One of Singapore’s three-phase exit of its ‘circuit breaker’ as a mere extension, with many existing restrictions to continue. But these restrictions are needed because we have merely averted a tsunami, wrote Professor Chia Kee Seng and PhD student Ms Ong Suan Ee in a commentary for The Straits Times. They warned that Singaporeans must be mentally prepared not just for a second wave, but for multiple waves that may be the new normal for the foreseeable future. If we are not careful, if we abandonRead more

In the largest non-European diabetes genetics study, an international team of researchers identified 61 new genetic variants associated with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in East Asians. Findings include discovery of variants near genes involved in skeletal muscle and pancreatic functions, as well as in alcohol metabolism, and also in genes linked to higher levels of fat around the belly in East Asian individuals. These genes had not been linked with T2D before and may help explain why — among people of similar body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference — theRead more

Associate Professor Helena Legido-Quigley was recently appointed Editor-in-Chief of Elsevier’s new Journal of Migration and Health, and was profiled in The Lancet last week, focusing on her work in health systems and passion for global health. “This is incredibly exciting for me, as the health of migrants is my passion, and no other journal has its main focus on this important component of global health,” she said. She commented on Singapore’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year: “It was striking how well Singapore was prepared, a legacy fromRead more