News

24 March marks World Tuberculosis (TB) Day around the world, a day designed to build public awareness against the global epidemic of TB and efforts to eliminate this disease. TB may be thought of as a disease of the past in developed societies where newborn vaccinations are cheap and readily available, but the fight is far from over. TB kills 1.5 million people every year, more than any other infectious disease, writes Dr Mishal Khan from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. Furthermore, Singapore is located at the heartRead more

There are currently around 500,000 diabetics in Singapore in 2015. By 2050, we could see up to 1 million diabetics in Singapore, as a result of not only having an ageing population, but increasing rates of obesity. And obesity has been on the rise among those below 40, says Professor Chia Kee Seng, Dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. To combat obesity rates by encouraging healthy diets and increased physical activity, the Health Promotion Board has introduced campaigns such as the National Steps Challenge, which gatheredRead more

The NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health congratulates our alumna Dr Margaret Chan (Class of ’85, MSc Public Health and Occupational Medicine) on being featured as one of CNN’s 19 Most Important Women in the History of Science. She joins other famous women on the list such as Dame Jane Goodall and Marie Curie who have made significant and groundbreaking contributions to the field of science. Dr Chan is the current Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and one of the world’s leading figures in public health. She previouslyRead more

Two years ago, the Health Promotion Board announced its aims to get smoking rates in Singapore down to 12% by 2020. Last December, four tobacco control proposals were raised for public consultation: raising the minimum age for smoking, banning additives in tobacco products, selling cigarettes in plain packaging, and enlarging graphic health warnings on packaging. Some of these measures have been implemented in other countries or cities – such as Brazil, which has banned flavoured tobacco since 2012, and Australia, which has put in place plain packaging for cigarettes sinceRead more

With rising obesity and diabetes rates both globally and in Singapore, we need to keep our body weight in check to prevent risks of health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. And it’s important to take note of sugar content in fresh fruit juice, which is comparable to that of sugar-sweetened beverages such as soft drinks, said Associate Professor Rob van Dam from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. Furthermore, the hidden risks in beverages are often overlooked as beverages can be quickly consumed and can leadRead more

Professor Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, delivered a talk as part of the School’s Public Health Thought Leadership Dialogue on Progress in Outbreak Preparedness – The Tasks Ahead on 22 February 2016. Professor Chia Kee Seng, Dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health commenced the session with the introduction of the Leadership Institute of Global Health Transformation (LIGHT), a think tank of the School, which will host the ongoing Public Health Thought Leadership Dialogue and feature some of the School’s prominentRead more

Increasing obesity rates in children and young adults are set to worsen already-high rates of diabetes in Singapore. Diabetes rates rose from 8.6% in Singaporean adults in 1992 to 11.3% in 2010, and would have gone up to 12.9% by last year, according to epidemiologists at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. Based on current projections, 34% of young people aged between 24 to 35 this year can expect to be diabetic by the time they are 65, says Professor Chia Kee Seng, Dean of the NUS SawRead more

A new local study by researchers from the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) and Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) may help doctors detect glaucoma, an often undiagnosed eye disease, earlier than usual. Researchers found that those with moderate to high myopia (above 300 degrees) and high eye pressure were more likely to develop primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), compared to those without myopia and high eye pressure. Associate Professor Cheng Ching Yu, principal investigator of the study, said the findings are particularly relevant for the Asian population and Singapore, consideringRead more

We can expect to see 1 million Type 2 diabetics in Singapore by the year 2050, a statistic which will inevitably place burden on our healthcare system and workforce. Singapore also has the second highest proportion of diabetics in developed nations, with 10.53% of the population between 20 and 79 diagnosed with diabetes, a figure topped only narrowly by the United States. Furthermore, diabetes is no longer a disease afflicting the old and weak, with increasing rates of younger people developing diabetes. How do we make sense of such figures?Read more

The Zika virus epidemic has undoubtedly become one of the most talked-about topics within the public health sphere, with the World Health Organization (WHO) justifiably declaring it a global health emergency as coordinated global efforts are critically needed in research, vaccine development and international action. With Singapore drawing large numbers of overseas visitors and frequent international travel among Singaporeans, a local case of Zika may only be a matter of time, The method of hospitalising suspected patients proves effective only when we can identify cases in the early stages of infection. However, with mostRead more

Heavy taxes have been placed on harmful substances like tobacco and alcohol to discourage their consumption. Yet sugar, another addictive harmful substance, does not face these strict taxation measures. Sugar consumption has been well established by health experts as the single most harmful ingredient in the modern diet, contributing to illnesses like diabetes, heart, liver and kidney disease, cancer, and more. Sugar consumption has also been responsible for increasing childhood obesity rates worldwide, including in Singapore, where around 1.7 million Singaporeans are at risk of obesity-related diseases. Dean, Professor ChiaRead more

Researchers from the National University of Singapore have found that consumption of palm oil led to higher levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which translated into a 6 per cent higher risk of coronary heart disease and death. However, not all clinical trials on humans have shown a link between palm oil consumption and LDL cholesterol levels, says Associate Professor Rob van Dam from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, who has led a team to carry out a comprehensive review of relevant clinical trials. Palm oil is widely usedRead more