I went with a small group of colleagues to Dili, Timor-Leste, to teach about appropriate antibiotic prescription for common infectious diseases to doctors from municipal hospitals in Dili, Timor-Leste. This seminar was organised by ReAct – an independent global network for concerted action on antimicrobial resistance based out of Uppsala University in Sweden – and […]
There is a Facebook/WhatsApp message that has gone viral since yesterday, reporting on a patient at the National University Hospital with Group B Streptococcus septic arthritis and linking this with a rise in other such cases in Singapore, as well as consumption of raw fish from various porridge stalls in hawker centres. The message has […]
A healthy man in his late middle age presented with sudden onset of fever. This was associated with back and muscle ache, as well as mild lower limb weakness and lethargy. He saw a general practitioner and obtained relief from his symptoms with the prescription of antipyretics (including a shot of NSAIDs). However, his muscle aches […]
A short post with no chart this time – mostly good news. There has been no new MERS-CoV infections in South Korea for the past 5 days, although there are now 35 deaths in 186 patients (case fatality rate of 18.8%) in total. This is the longest stretch without any new cases in South Korea to date. […]
There is currently a bit of buzz about Streptococcus agalactiae (which is also referred to as Group B streptococcus, as it is the only Streptococcus species that belongs to Lancefield Group B), hence I had to update myself about this organism in a hurry. It is a Gram-positive coccus (just like MRSA), usually present as chains of cocci under the […]
Another two new cases of MERS-CoV infection in South Korea over the past 3 days (up to 5th July 2015), bringing the total to 186. One is a young female doctor from Samsung Medical Centre (Seoul), whereas the last case to date is the wife of a patient who was confirmed positive at Samsung Medical […]
A teenager spent a few days at a regional resort, visiting the beach and trekking around the nearby waterfalls. Two days after returning, a unique rash appeared over the left foot, associated with an intense itch. Question: What is the diagnosis and treatment of the rash? [Updated 11 July 2015] Quite a number of people on […]
Two new cases in South Korea since the start of July, bringing the total to 184 cases. These cases were confirmed by the Korean government after a brief hiatus of 3 days where no new cases were reported. Both are young nurses at Samsung Medical Centre (Seoul). There are now 33 deaths (case fatality rate of 17.9%), […]
No new cases and no new deaths with respect to the MERS-CoV outbreak in South Korea for 3 days now. In other related news, a humanised mouse model for MERS infection and a process that can be used to rapidly produce clinical-grade antibodies against the virus has been published in PNAS by a group from the […]
Just one additional case over the past 2 days, a nurse at Gangdong Kyung Hee University Hospital. This brings the total to 182 cases, with 32 deaths (case fatality rate of 17.6%). Just under 2/3 of the cases are male. No cases have been reported from Thailand to date – it should be just under one week […]
MIPHIDIC 