News

The School is pleased to share that PhD student Mr Rayner Tan is now on the editorial board of the prestigious journal, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI). He joins as part of the editorial team for its new series, Perspectives. Our warmest congratulations, Mr Tan! Perspectives is a new section of STI targeted toward clinicians and translational researchers. Each Perspectives issue identifies interesting articles and proposes the implications of each article for current or near-future clinical practice. Aimed to be a quick and informative read, Perspectives will be published for openRead more

The new coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan continues to develop with over 400 cases in China and other countries, including Thailand, Japan, South Korea and US. With more people infected by the virus and confirmation that the bug can be transmitted from human to human, the Ministry of Health, Singapore (MOH) has issued a health advisory, urging the public to remain vigilant and adopt good personal hygiene practices. Travellers and members of the public should adopt the following precautions at all times: Avoid contact with live animals including poultry and birds;Read more

We are pleased to share that PhD student Ms Tan Sok Teng was awarded the Equity Initiative Fellowship. Congratulations, Ms Tan! Launched in 2016, the Equity Initiative (EI) Fellowship programme nurtures and empowers young leaders to pursue and advocate social justice for health in the ASEAN region. The programme is designed to bring together a diverse group of professionals who have demonstrated commitment, dedication and enthusiasm for leading change for health equity. Like other world regions, Southeast Asian societies are confronting many health equity challenges: ensuring universal access to primaryRead more

In 2019, Singapore saw its worst dengue outbreak in over three years, with 16,000 cases and 20 deaths. Assistant Professor Vincent Pang, Director, Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research (CIDER), said there is likely to be a similar outbreak in the middle of the year. This is especially so if many residents choose to visit countries with their own dengue epidemics during the warm and rainy season. Mr Chew Ming Fai, Director-General of Public Health, National Environment Agency (NEA), attributed the spike in dengue cases last year to threeRead more

A healthy diet remains the primary means to prevent chronic diseases among those with prediabetes. Dr Raymond Lim, Senior Lecturer, and Associate Professor Wong Mee Lian conducted a study with 433 pre-diabetic patients to assess factors associated with fulfilling the Health Promotion Board’s My Healthy Plate recommendation, and to explore reasons for their behaviour. It was found that only 57.3 per cent of the patients followed the recommendations, of which nearly 90 per cent of the respondents were married. Married individuals were more likely to report meeting the recommendations comparedRead more

The number of men who smoke and use tobacco is on the decline for the first time, marking a significant shift in a global epidemic that has killed tens of millions of people over past decades, according to a newly released World Health Organization (WHO) report. The change in global smoking trends also demonstrates how government-led efforts are working to “save lives, protect health, beat tobacco”, said WHO in the same report. WHO also said Southeast Asia has the highest rates of tobacco use, but it expects the rates to declineRead more

The recent news report (17 Dec) of a case of active tuberculosis (TB) found earlier this month at a PAP Community Foundation (PCF) Sparkletots preschool in Bukit Batok took some members of the public, who were under the impression that the disease has long been eradicated in Singapore, by surprise. Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, Infectious Diseases Programme Leader, gives us the lowdown on tuberculosis, how it is transmitted, symptoms, the difference between active and latent TB, and why it remains endemic, or regularly found and common in Singapore. Read onRead more

Over the last 50 years since its founding, the Singapore Cancer Registry (SCR) has captured data on all cancers by histological diagnosis, as well as notification by doctors through clinical assessment. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, SCR published a commemorative monograph dedicated to its founder, the late Emeritus Professor Kanagaratnam Shanmugaratnam. Hailed as Singapore’s ‘Father of Pathology’, Prof Shanmugaratnam established the SCR and served as its Director from 1968 to 2002. He was also a world-leading expert on nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Emeritus Professor at NUS and Emeritus Consultant at theRead more

Singapore General Hospital (SGH) recently announced that a long term study it conducted has led to over 100 patients a year being taken off antibiotics after just a day, resulting in shorter hospital stays of about a week and cost savings of close to S$11,000 per patient. Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, Infectious Diseases Programme Leader, writes about the significance of the study and why we should care about how antibiotics are prescribed in Singapore hospitals. “One key way to improve antibiotic prescription in hospitals (as well as in primary care)Read more

Singaporeans currently lead the world in life expectancy, with an average life span of approximately 85 years. This, along with an ageing population, has increased the need to identify and take measures to prevent the development of common conditions associated with old age such as cognitive impairment and dementia. A healthy diet comprising high intake of plant foods and low intake of animal foods in midlife could be associated with a reduced risk of cognitive impairment, according to findings from the Singapore Chinese Health Study (SCHS). In the recent studyRead more

It was recently reported that a teenager in the United Kingdom became blind after years of living on junk food. The boy, who was described as a ‘fussy eater’, lived on food like french fries, potato chips, white bread, ham and sausages. The lack of nutrients from his diet led to visual impairment, and the boy was subsequently declared legally blind. Assistant Professor Mary Chong shared the importance of developing correct eating habits from an early age. She reminded parents that when children adopt healthy eating habits from a youngRead more

Researchers from Changi General Hospital (CGH) reviewed the quit rates of smokers from the hospital’s inpatient smoking cessation programme in relation to habits and sociodemographic factors. They found that smokers who were older, married and less dependent on nicotine were more likely to be successful in quitting. The study also found that smoking motivations (such as habitual use and psychological dependence) did not influence quit rates, and therefore do not support the use of e-cigarettes. Instead, a cold turkey method of quitting was shown to contribute to cessation success. TheRead more