A colleague pointed out that the preschool teacher diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis could have her contract terminated early, according to news reports, although this part was not clear from the Todayonline report. I hope that this does not happen. TB-infected patients are generally not infectious after just 2 weeks of appropriate therapy, and the vast […]
The latest to make the news is that of a pre-school teacher (Little Greenhouse, Bukit Batok) who was diagnosed with pulmonary TB last Wednesday, leading to planned screening of all 104 pre-schoolers 20 staff. This follows news of the elderly resident from Peacehaven Bedok Day Centre who was diagnosed with TB in June, leading to […]
A month from now (21st September), the UN General Assembly will convene a one day high level meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in New York. The purpose is to “summon and maintain strong national, regional and international political commitment in addressing antimicrobial resistance comprehensively and multi-sectorally, and to increase and improve awareness of antimicrobial resistance.” […]
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) belong to the current “pantheon” of “superbugs” causing human infections primarily in the hospital setting. Enterococci are a type of Gram-positive bacteria that are part of the intestinal flora. They are opportunistic pathogens, causing infections primarily in immunocompromised patients, especially when the gut mucosal barrier has been broken. Two species cause virtually […]
Tuberculosis, Singapore Curiously, a report of 2 SMRT train drivers and a crew manager being diagnosed with TB made it to the news today. Only one among them had active disease – the other two were diagnosed with latent tuberculosis which is non-infectious. Such cases are rarely highlighted in our mainstream media. The risk of tuberculosis […]
A non-systematic mention of outbreaks that have caught my attention this week. For a more comprehensive search, there is ProMED Mail. One can also skim through the MOH’s weekly infectious diseases bulletin, which is only about local notifiable diseases (where one can quickly see that we have had more dengue and HFMD cases compared to […]
I read a recent review in Clinical Infectious Diseases (the second-ranked premier ID journal, depending on ranking criteria) on the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) ranking of antibiotics a couple of days ago. The WHO has ranked antimicrobial agents according to their importance for human medicine since 2007, and has updated the list every 3 years or so. […]
It was nice to receive a certificate of appreciation from the SG50 Steering Committee half a year after our project was completed (although the signature is likely an electronic one). Our various interview videos and the documentary are still available on YouTube on our own channel. The hardcover book is still available at Kinokuniya (although […]
An outbreak of canine leptospirosis in Singapore made it to the news yesterday. There were 17 suspected and 1 confirmed case for the year to date (up from 2 cases in 2015), 12 of which were linked to a single dog daycare centre. There may also have been a case of dog-to-human transmission – According […]
I attended my first NUS Commencement last Sunday evening as one of the faculty for the School of Public Health. It was a joint commencement for both the old School of Medicine and the new School of Public Health, held at the University Cultural Centre. Everyone was dressed in antiquated-looking (but somehow impressive) academic gowns, […]
MIPHIDIC 