News & Stories

Novel combined therapy shows promise for controlling metastatic breast cancer

More slots for specialised support programme in pre-schools

​The Early Childhood Development Agency launched a guide for parents and caregivers of young children up to six years old with developmental needs. The guide was jointly developed with MOE, NUH, KKH and other partners. It outlined some of the challenges parents may face, and help channels they could turn to, and gave information on milestones like enrolling for primary or special education schools. 

• The Straits Times Online, More pre-school slots for children with developmental needs in the next three years
  
• TNP Online, More pre-school slots for children with developmental needs in the next three years
  
• Lianhe Zaobao, Page 11, 幼培署新手册内容齐备 帮家长更好照顾特需子女 (ECDA launches new guide to help parents better care for children with special needs)
  
• Berita Harian, Page 1,7, Anak-anak dengan keperluan pembangunan; ECDA lancer panduan untuk ibu bapa (ECDA launches guide for parents of children with developmental needs)
  

Singapore unlikely to tighten COVID-19 rules amid rise in cases: Experts

​Public health experts said that it was unlikely that Singapore will tighten COVID-19 rules across the board in response to the recent spike in cases. Prof Dale Fisher, Senior Consultant, Division of Infectious Diseases, National University Hospital, said that tightening measures would be necessary only if a new variant or if a completely new virus surfaced. Prof Teo Yik Ying, Dean of NUS Saw Swee Hock School Public Health, noted that the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub variants have been spreading across multiple countries over the past two months, with both North America and Europe seeing a surge in local transmissions.

A/Prof Alex Cook, Vice Dean of Research, NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, mentioned that the increased travel during the June holiday period was not the reason behind the recent increase in COVID-19 cases. He explained that while travel may have brought these sub variants into Singapore, their spread is a result of inherently greater transmissibility and lower effective immunity against them compared with during the first Omicron wave. 

• Lianhe Zaobao, 24 June 2022, Page 4, 本地新增6606 起病例 每周传播率攀升至1.38 (Singapore reports 6,606 new cases; weekly infection growth rate up to 1.38)
  
• Mediacorp 8world, 23 June 2022, 新一波冠病疫情在即 本地专家：料不会比德尔塔严重 (New wave of COVID-19 imminent; Experts: Expected to be milder than Delta)
  

Singapore residents to get better access to health and wellness coaching by 2027

​Media cited reports on SportSG’s partnerships with key healthcare partners - Health Promotion Board, MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation, National Healthcare Group, National University Health System, Singapore Health Services and EIMS. Under Active Health, a nation-wide initiative by SportSG, about 500,000 Singapore residents can have access to a health and wellness coach by 2027. Health coaches will conduct guided walks for residents in the park that incorporates health tips, as well as short exercise at various stations. This will be done with MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation and National University Health System for the general population in Boon Lay and the western precincts including Health District @ Queenstown. 

• MSN, 23 June 2022, Singapore residents to get better access to health and wellness coaching by 2027 
  

Vaccinations more than halved potential global COVID-19 death toll: Lancet study

​A study published by The Lancet Infectious Diseases showed that vaccinations more than halved the potential global COVID-19 death toll, as an estimated 19.8 million deaths were averted in the first year after vaccines were introduced. Prof Teo Yik Ying, Dean of NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that such studies were absolutely necessary in health policy to determine the extent of preventable morbidity and mortality. 

Storage bank for human poop to treat diseases launched

​The first gut microbiome banking service in Southeast Asia, launched by health startup Amili and healthtech firm Cordlife, allows people to preserve the healthy microbes in their digestive tract, so that they may be used in the future to treat diseases such as severe diarrhoea and inflammatory bowel disease. Faecal transplants have been approved in Singapore for treating patients infected with the Clostridium difficile (C.diff) bacteria in the large intestine or colon. In 2014, Amili’s co-founder, A/Prof David Ong, performed the first poop transplant at NUH to treat a patient infected with the C.diff bacterium. Amili is currently conducting clinical trials in NUH for microbiome transplants on patients with inflammatory bowel disease, a condition where one's colon and rectum become inflamed. 

• The Straits Times Online, Gut microbiome bank launched to store human poop for treating diseases
  

都是伊蚊惹的祸 (It's all the fault of the Aedes mosquito)

​Zaobao commentary by Ms Ng Xiang Jing who shared her experience of being infected with dengue. The writer had consulted a few doctors, before a polyclinic blood test showed abnormalities and she was referred to NUH Emergency Department, where a doctor correctly diagnosed her as having dengue. 

500,000 residents to get access to health, wellness coaching by 2027

​Several media cited reports on SportSG’s partnerships with key healthcare partners - Health Promotion Board, MOH Office For Healthcare Transformation, National Healthcare Group, National University Health System, Singapore Health Services and EIMS. Under Active Health, a nation-wide initiative by SportSG, about 500,000 Singapore residents can have access to a health and wellness coach by 2027.  In support of the Healthier SG vision, the collaborations will harness partners’ expertise and strengths to maximise outreach efforts and support Singaporeans’ journey towards better health. 

• 8World, 22 June 2022, 活跃健康计划将扩大，未来五年里让50万个本地居民可拥有健康教练 (500,000 Singapore residents will have access to a health and wellness coach under Active Health's nation-wide initiative)
  
• Lianhe Zaobao, 23 June 2022, 与六个医疗伙伴合作 体理会运动项目将更符合个人保健需求 (SportSG strengthens partnerships with six healthcare providers toprovide health and wellness programmes to address individual health care needs)
  
• The Straits Times, 22 June 2022, S'poreans to have access to more coaches and facilities to keep them healthy: SportSG

Everything you need to know about IVF in Singapore

​The article outlined some important things that a couple should consider before in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). The costs of IVF treatment would vary depending on where one seeks treatment. Public hospitals, including NUH, KKH and SGH would charge between $10,000 and $15,000 per cycle. 

国立大学心脏中心华语免费讲座 (NUHCS Free Public Mandarin Symposium)

​National University Heart Centre Singapore is inviting public to participate in “The Heart Truth”, a free Mandarin symposium.  Four heart experts would be sharing on trending heart topics, which include active steps to prevent heart disease, impact of COVID-19’s long term cardiovascular outcomes on the heart, how minimally invasive heart surgery could provide better outcomes for patients, as well as heart failure. The symposium will take place on 2 July 2022 at the NUHS Tower Block. 

Pakar: Ubat pencegahan mampu perangi denggi (Expert: Preventive medication can fight dengue)

​Prof Martin Hibberd from the London School Of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine highlighted at the 5th Asia Dengue Summit held on 15 June that in addition to preventive medication, it is also possible to use predictive data models such as the one developed by The National Environment Agency’s Environmental Health Institute and NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health to pre-empt dengue outbreaks. The model can predict dengue case trends up to three months ahead. 

儿童四种沟通障碍 (Four communication disorders in children)

本地60岁以上年长者 8万人未打疫苗追加剂 王乙康：很快会派流动接种团队到社区 (80,000 seniors aged 60 and above have not received COVID-19 booster shot; Ong Ye Kung: Mobile vaccination teams will be sent to the community)

​Prof Dale Fisher, Senior Consultant, Division of Infectious Diseases, NUH, predicted that a new wave of pandemic might not occur, and should it occur, the vast majority of cases would be mild, as COVID-19 vaccines still offer good protection. Prof Fisher said that the vast majority of daily reported cases were diagnosed by antigen rapid test and it is likely that most people who self-diagnosed are not reported to MOH. He believed that the local population has reached a high degree of COVID-19 infection and this will offer natural immunity against a major wave affecting the population. 

Health Matters – Recollections: An autobiography of Professor Lim Pin

​One of Singapore’s medical pioneers, Emeritus Prof Lim Pin, Department of Medicine, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Emeritus Consultant, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, who is the author of the book “Recollections: Meeting Challenges and Seizing Opportunities”, talked about some of the biggest changes he has seen in the medical field over the years. 

Health Matters – Liver donor transplants

​A/Prof Shridhar Iyer, Surgical Director & Senior Consultant, Adult Liver Transplantation Programme, NUCOT, shared his views on liver donor transplants. He said that the recipient benefits must be weighed against the risks, and there was an ethical dilemma of balancing the risks between the donor and the recipient.