News

The recent proposal to introduce standardised tobacco packaging has elicited strong responses from diverse sectors. Many have lauded the move, including Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, who tweeted a congratulatory message to Singapore. However, some have derided the move as superficial and naive, and one which is unlikely to change the behaviour of smokers. But the battle against smoking is not simply in encouraging and supporting existing smokers to kick the habit. It is also in ensuring impressionable adolescents and young adults do not start. “I must emphasise that plainRead more

Last weekend, over 500 children and parents took a peek into the world of bacteria and antibiotics at the World Antibiotics Awareness Week (WAAW) library workshop, organised by the School’s Singapore Social, Lifestyle and Infection Networks Group (Singapore SLING). Held at Jurong Regional Library on 10-11 November, the event featured different stations for children to learn about bacteria, antibiotics and hand hygiene, including a station where participants could see the germs on their hands glow. This is the third year that the Singapore SLING team has organised this event, led by Assistant ProfessorRead more

The Ministry of Health recommends people get the flu shot once a year, particularly those at high risk of infection, including young children aged six months to five years, pregnant women, the elderly, patients with chronic conditions or weakened immunity, people living in long-term care facilities and healthcare workers. Yet vaccination levels are low in these groups, according to research at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. About one in 10 pregnant women and one in eight young children get vaccinated against the flu. Common misconceptions about theRead more

On 31 October, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that it will introduce standardised packaging for all tobacco products sold in Singapore, as part of ongoing efforts for a tobacco-free society. If enacted, the new measures may take effect from 2020 and all tobacco products may soon be required to be sold in plain or nondescript packaging, as well as display mandatory graphic health warnings covering at least 75 per cent of the pack’s surface, up from the current mandated 50 per cent. Australia has led the move as theRead more

A rapidly ageing population is no cause for despair, shared the five panellists on the Straits Times-AIA Roundtable on ‘Managing Singapore’s Health with an Ageing Population: What more needs to be done?’ Being old is not the problem, they pointed out, but being sick, at any age, is. Speaking with Straits Times senior health correspondent Salma Khalik, the panellists discussed making private-sector healthcare more accessible, changing organisational policies to support seniors, and looking beyond the retirement age. Professor Chia Kee Seng, who was part of the panel, said the tendencyRead more

Antibiotics are critical for human and animal health, and it is not an exaggeration to state that they are one of a few critical discoveries that have improved human health dramatically in the past century. Yet, their use in humans and animals are not without risks and trade-offs. As with all medicines, there is a potential risk of adverse effects in humans (and animals), and antibiotic resistance—a natural consequence of increasing use of antibiotics—is considered by the World Health Organization as one of the greatest threats to global health today.Read more

A study commissioned by the Ministry of Health and involving 5,415 adult inpatients from 13 public and private acute hospitals found that 11.9 per cent of the patients caught an infection while being treated for other conditions. About one in four of the affected had an infection in their bloodstream, while a similar number had pneumonia. What is more worrying is that 7 per cent of such healthcare-associated infections were caused by bacteria resistant to conventional antibiotics. “That means we have to use more toxic and less effective antibiotics,” said AssociateRead more

In the first scientific study ranking countries based on human capital, Singapore came in 13th in the world out of 195 countries and territories in 2016, up from 43rd place in 1990. Recently published in The Lancet, the study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation looked at expected human capital: the number of years of peak productivity for workers between 20 to 64 years old, taking into account education and health. Singapore had a significant increase in its expected human capital, from 17 years of productivity in 1990 to 24 inRead more

For incoming students from AY2019/2020 onwards, there will be a reduction of tuition fees by up to 75% for Singaporean Citizens, 75% for Singaporean Permanent Residents and 65% for International Students, if deemed eligible for the Ministry of Education subsidy. Tuition fees for AY2019/2020 will be released by the NUS Registrar’s Office in due course. More information may be found here. Apply now! Online applications for the August 2019 intake are now open and close on 19 December 2018. Visit here for more information on the MPH programme. For further enquiries, contact MPH_Admin@nus.edu.sg.

On 15 September 2018, at the 50th Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) Conference in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, Ms Tan Sok Teng, Research Associate, was conferred the Young Investigator Traveller’s Award and Dr Andre Matthias Müller, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, received the Best Oral Presentation Award. Congratulations, Ms Tan and Dr Müller! The Young Investigator Traveller’s Award is given to promising young researchers with high potential to bring impactful public health implications. Ms Tan has been passionately working with refugees for the past 10 years. After joining the School, she workedRead more

The MOH pilot National Population Health Survey 2016/17 shows more men are overweight, with more of them also suffering from chronic conditions. The survey of more than 3,000 people found that 43 per cent of men aged between 18 and 69 were either obese or overweight, compared with 29 per cent of women. Compared to the 2010 National Health Survey, the recent results indicate that more people now suffer from high blood pressure and cholesterol. This increase is likely due to both the ageing population and number of people whoRead more

Free healthcare screenings for residents in the Neighbourhood Health Service will be expanded to include health checks for depression and hearing tests. This is in addition to screenings for chronic diseases, cancer, and dental and vision issues. The programme was started by medical students from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in 2007 to bring health screening to the doorsteps of rental flat residents throughout Singapore. “The students had decided to expand this year’s screening efforts to cover a wider range of clinical conditions as they found that residentsRead more