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How do current paediatrics residency selection criteria correlate with residency performance?

Dear Editor, The selection process for potential residents needs to be reviewed regularly and assessed if effective in selecting the best-fit residents who can achieve...

Singapore’s experience in managing the COVID-19 pandemic: Key lessons from the ground

In the early days of the pandemic when information on COVID-19 infection was lacking, all COVID-19 positive patients were admitted into acute hospitals for...

Cardiovascular effects of COVID-19 in children

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). While the respiratory system is  the...

Long COVID prevalence, risk factors and impact of vaccination in the paediatric population: A survey study in Singapore

On 5 May 2023, more than 3 years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that COVID-19 no...

COVID-19: The virus, vaccine and paediatric heart

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in much morbidity and mortality around the world. The development of vaccines has cushioned the effect...

Fetal congenital heart diseases: Diagnosis by anatomical scans, echocardiography and genetic tests

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are the most common major congenital anomaly at up to 28%1 and are responsible for 5.7% of all infant mortality.2...

Impact of pre-existing depression on severe COVID-19 outcomes

The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in 2019 had rapidly developed into a global pandemic, causing more than 6.8 million deaths and impacting the...

Improving neonatal counselling service for premature births

Dear Editor,  Despite the substantial advancement of neonatal care leading to increased survival of infants of periviable gestation, as young as 22 weeks,1 the anticipated...

Consensus statement on Singapore integrated 24-hour activity guide for early childhood

Early childhood is a critical period for growth and development, setting the foundation for future and lifelong well-being.1 Adopting healthy lifestyle behaviours in early...

Proactive steps to population health: Starting early, starting right

The global burden of non-communicable diseases is rising, with continued projected increases in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the future. This epidemic,...

Risk and protective factors of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in Singapore

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted people’s well-being globally.1 Individuals faced several stressors during the pandemic, including fear of contracting the disease, experiencing severe...

Impact of COVID-19 on mental health and social service provision in Singapore: Learnings from a descriptive mixed-methods study for future resource planning

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization in January 2020.1 Singapore reported its first case of...

Impact of COVID-19 on mental health and healthcare service delivery

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 6.8 million lives globally.2 While there is yet a cure for the disease, vaccines are now available...

Sublingual ondansetron for treatment of acute gastroenteritis in children in the children’s emergency

Dear Editor, Acute gastroenteritis (GE) is a leading cause of death globally in children aged below 5 years and the third most common indication for...

Delayed treatment with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir could remain effective in patients with Omicron BA2.2 variant of COVID-19

Dear Editor, In late February 2022, the Omicron BA.2.2 subvariant drove the outbreak of COVID-19 and rapidly spread through many parts of the world. Omicron-infected...

Rash characteristics of paediatric patients with COVID-19 in Singapore

Dear Editor, Children with COVID-19 infection can present with a variable spectrum of clinical manifestations, and sometimes mucocutaneous manifestations can be the only manifestation of...

Immune and coagulation profiles in 3 adults with multisystem inflammatory syndrome

A spectrum of immune dysregulation has been described following SARS-CoV-2 infections—from the cytokine storm in the acute phase, to hyperinflammatory syndromes that occur after...

Clinical outcome of bacterial endogenous endophthalmitis in 15 patients

Dear Editor, Endophthalmitis refers to the inflammation of the ocular cavities and their immediate adjacent structures without extension beyond the sclera, usually secondary to...

Combating a resurgence of poliomyelitis through public health surveillance and vaccination

Singapore was certified poliomyelitis (polio)-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 29 October 2000, together with 36 other countries in the Western Pacific...

Clinical efficacy and long-term immunogenicity of an early triple dose regimen of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination in cancer patients

The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to the ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Initial studies have reported an increased vulnerability of patients with...

Early COVID-19 booster is beneficial in cancer patients

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and its corresponding coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first reported as a cluster of pneumonia cases in...

Vaccination and surveillance: Two basic tools for a final poliomyelitis eradication

Over the past 3 decades, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has strived to achieve a poliomyelitis (polio)-free world. Wild poliovirus (WPV) types 2...

Rapid exome sequencing to aid diagnostics in genetic disorders: Implementation and challenges in the Singapore context

Dear Editor, There is a high burden of genetic disorders in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), ranging from 45–56%,1,2 and delayed definitive...

A strategy to make COVID-19 vaccination more accessible to the elderly

Dear Editor, Singapore embarked on the COVID-19 National Vaccination Programme in early 2021. The main modality employed to achieve the mass vaccinations has been the...

Implementation of an AI model to triage paediatric brain magnetic resonance imaging orders

Dear Editor, Artificial intelligence (AI) is viewed as the most important recent advancement in radiology with the potential to achieve Singapore’s objective of delivering value-based...

Early rehabilitation to improve functional outcomes in childhood cancer in Singapore

Dear Editor, We conducted a prospective, single-centre cohort study to review the impact of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme in children with cancer in Singapore....

The Omicron-transformer: Rise of the subvariants in the age of vaccines

The emergence and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 have been publicly tracked in unprecedented detail through a combination of intensive genomic sequencing and open-access sharing of...

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children in Singapore

While children infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) resulting in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have milder manifestations compared to adults,1,2 a...

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children: A unique manifestation of COVID-19

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, children have been relatively spared from the severe symptomatic infection affecting adults, particularly the elderly and those...

Child passenger safety training for healthcare professionals in Singapore

Dear Editor, Road traffic injuries are a preventable cause of childhood morbidity and mortality.1,2 Use of age-appropriate child car seats (CCS) lowers the risk...

Clinical characteristics of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections among hospitalised children in Singapore

Dear Editor, Mycoplasma pneumoniae has become the leading cause of paediatric community-acquired pneumonia in countries where pneumococcal vaccination is included in the national immunisation programme,...

Childhood interstitial lung disease: The end of a diagnostic odyssey

Dear Editor, Childhood interstitial lung disease is a heterogeneous group of rare disorders featuring pulmonary interstitial remodelling and diffuse parenchymal infiltrates on imaging.1 Incidence...

Managing adult asthma during the COVID-19 pandemic: A 2022 review and current recommendations

Asthma is the most prevalent chronic respiratory disease, estimated to affect more than 300 million people worldwide.1 First recognised in December 2019, the coronavirus...

Validation and comparison of the PECARN rule, Step-by-Step approach and Lab-score for predicting serious and invasive bacterial infections in young febrile infants

The diagnostic approach and management of febrile infants <90 days of age remain a challenge, given that the majority of these infants have no...

TB or not TB? The axillary lump question

An 81-year-old woman of healthy weight presented with a 2-week history of a painless right axillary lump. Physical examination revealed a 2cm firm nodule...

Antiphospholipid and other autoantibodies in COVID-19 patients: A Singapore series

Dear Editor, Thrombosis is an unexpected complication of COVID-19 initially reported in 3 patients from China.1 These patients tested positive for immunoglobulin (Ig) A anticardiolipin...

High burden of respiratory viral infection-associated mortality among critically ill children

Dear Editor, Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRIs) are a leading cause of under-5 mortality globally—two-thirds could be attributable to respiratory viral infections (RVIs).1,2 The burden...

Non-motorised active mobility device use by children in Singapore: Injury patterns and risk factors for severe injury

The Active Mobility Act was introduced in Singapore in 2017 to promote the safe use of personal mobility devices. Non-motorised active mobility devices (AMDs)...

Teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives of medical students in Singapore

Dear Editor, The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in many changes to medical education, including the site and mode of teaching, conducting of...

Screening for somatisation in an Asian children’s hospital emergency setting

Dear Editor, In recent years, self-harm is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among adolescents in Singapore.1,2 This is just the tip of the...

Global monkeypox outbreak 2022: First case series in Singapore

Monkeypox has been declared a public health emergency of international concern. Up until 2022, most cases of monkeypox have been reported in parts of...

The global emergence of monkeypox

Monkeypox is so named because the poxvirus was first identified in 2 outbreaks among cynomolgus monkeys housed at the Statens Serum Institut, Denmark, in...

Neuralgic amyotrophy in COVID-19 infection and after vaccination

Dear Editor, Various neurological manifestations associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been described,1 conditions which left a significant proportion of patients with permanent disability....

Attitude towards screening for congenital cytomegalovirus infection in newborns in Singapore

Dear Editor, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most common congenital infection.1 A systematic review that included 77 studies from 36 countries reported that the overall...

Congenital cytomegalovirus infection: Advocating for screening and education

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the leading non-genetic cause of congenital neurosensory hearing loss in children, accounting for 21% of cases of hearing loss at...

Epidemiological trends and outcomes of children with aural foreign bodies in Singapore

Aural foreign bodies (FBs) commonly present to the emergency department (ED) worldwide. Children represent the majority of the population, believed to be due to...

Nutrition support practices for critically ill patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2: A multicentre observational study in Singapore

Within 3 weeks of the World Health Organization declaring the COVID-19 pandemic on 11 March 2020, the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and...

Challenges and considerations in delivering nutritional therapy in the ICU during COVID-19 pandemic

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created unprecedented challenges for healthcare workers in Singapore and across the world. Providing clinical nutrition and metabolic care to...

BNT162B2 COVID-19 mRNA vaccination did not promote substantial anti-syncytin-1 antibody production nor mRNA transfer to breast milk in an exploratory pilot study

Dear Editor, Vaccine hesitancy still threatens global efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants. Social media-driven “conspiracy theories”...

COVID-19 vaccination acceptance of healthcare workers in Singapore

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in 511.0 million cases of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and almost 6.2 million deaths globally as of end...

Consensus statement on Singapore integrated 24-hour activity guide for children and adolescents

The World Health Organization’s Global action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases 2013–2020 provided guiding principles for national efforts in controlling...

Prevalence and correlates of psychological distress and coronavirus anxiety among hospital essential services workers in Singapore

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected almost all geographies in the world since 2020. Many countries have imposed strict isolation measures to contain...

Prevalence, risk factors and parental perceptions of gastroesophageal reflux disease in Asian infants in Singapore

Functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, such as colic, gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and constipation, are common in infants under 1 year. They are a frequent cause...

Gastroesophageal reflux disease in Asian infants: Similar condition, different perceptions

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a common problem in infancy, may lead to troublesome symptoms or complications such as oesophagitis or oesophageal stricturing in a...

Injection site reactions after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination

Dear Editor, The Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2 mRNA) and Moderna (mRNA-1273) COVID-19 vaccinations were approved for use in Singapore in December 2020 and February 2021, respectively. To...

Change in hepatitis B virus DNA status in patients receiving chronic immunosuppressive therapy for moderate-to-severe skin disease

Dear Editor, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection poses a global health burden. Clinically, patients may present with chronic HBV infection, occult HBV infection, and fulminant...

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma associated with sudden stridor arising from thyroid mucormycosis and concomitant bacterial infection

Dear Editor, Mucormycosis is a life-threatening fungal infection that mainly affects immunocompromised patients. It typically has low prevalence, but fatality rate is as high...

Evaluation of a health screening protocol for recovered COVID-19 patients before “return-to-play” and strenuous physical activity

Dear Editor, We conducted a prospective, single-centre cohort study to develop guidance for military personnel returning to strenuous activities following SARS-CoV-2 infection. The patients underwent...

Cryptococcal Prostatic Abscess in an Immunocompromised Patient: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Cryptococcosis is a well-recognised infection in immunocompromised patients, although its prevalence varies with the type of immune defect. We report a patient with myasthenia...

Emerging Therapies for Sepsis and Septic Shock

Septic shock remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among hospitalised patients despite advances in antimicrobial therapy and medical support. This article is available...

Epidemiological Surveillance of Melioidosis in Singapore

Melioidosis was first described in 1911 among vagrants and morphine addicts brought into the mortuary in Rangoon, Burma. However, the disease received little attention...

The Global Pandemic of Dengue/Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever: Current Status and Prospects for the Future

The world has experienced unprecedented population growth in the past 50 years that continues unabated in the waning years of the 20th century. It...

Palm Printing on Agar Plates of Hands of Health Care Workers from the Intensive Care Units of the National University Hospital of Singapore

Nosocomial infections are one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in hospitals resulting in increasing health care costs. The intensive care unit...

Disseminated Penicillium marneffei Infection: A Report of Five Cases in Singapore

Penicillium marneffei is a dimorphic fungus that can cause infection in immunocompromised hosts. Reports on infection with this organism were initially uncommon, but after...

A Comparison of Antigen Dipstick Assays with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Technique and Blood Film Examination in the Rapid Diagnosis of Malaria

According to the 1996 epidemiological studies in Singapore done by the Ministry of the Environment, a total of 364 cases of malaria were reported...

Bidirectional Cavopulmonary Anastomosis

Children with complex congenital heart disease and a functional single ventricle may not be ideal candidates for a Fontan procedure. A staged approach to...

Correlation of Baseline Quantitative Plasma Human Immunodeficiency (HIV) Type 1 RNA Viral Load with Clinical Status and CD4+ T-cell Counts in Treatment-Naïve HIV-Positive Patients in Singapore

Quantitative plasma human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) ribonucleic acid (RNA) viral load is used clinically as a predictor of progression of HIV-1 infection...

A Case of Mycobacterium scrofulaceum Osteomyelitis of the Right Wrist

Whilst infections caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis may be a common occurrence in this part of the world, those caused by atypical mycobacteria are rarely...

Case Report of Staphylococcus lugdunensis Native Valve Endocarditis and Review of the Literature

Coagulase-negative staphylococci cause 5% of native valve endocarditis. Of the 30 species identified currently, Staphylococcus epidermidis is a well-recognised cause of native valve endocarditis;...

Case Reports of Nocardiosis in Patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection

Nocardiosis is an infection caused by a soil-borne aerobic filamentous bacterium in the genus Nocardia and the order Actinomycetales. Within the genus Nocardia, N....

Pericardial effusion and tamponade in a young woman

A young woman presented to the Singapore General Hospital with a history of cough in the 2 weeks prior. She had no significant past...

Graves’ disease after COVID-19 vaccination

Dear Editor, Case 1 was a 41-year-old man with a history of primary hyperthyroidism. At the time of diagnosis, thyroglobulin antibodies were elevated although no...

Impact of COVID-19 infections among kidney transplant recipients

Dear Editor, More than 2 years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, cases continue to climb despite global efforts at viral control. This is...

Paediatric living-donor liver and kidney transplantation during COVID-19

Dear Editor, The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted global healthcare including paediatric solid organ transplantation (SOT). We report our experience of resuming paediatric...

Systemic antibiotic prophylaxis for recurrent infective flares in children and adolescents with atopic dermatitis

Dear Editor, Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, affecting approximately 20% of children in Singapore.1 It is associated with skin barrier defects2...

Pericarditis and myocarditis after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in a nationwide setting

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in much morbidity and mortality worldwide. The development of mRNA vaccines has heralded much hope in...

Histoplasmosis Presenting with Progressively Worsening Backache—A Case Report

A 55-year-old man presented with intermittent low back pain of 2 months’ duration which was progressively worsening, fever, anorexia and a 10-kg weight loss....

In vitro Activity of Moxifloxacin against Local Bacterial Isolates

The introduction of newer generation fluoroquinolones has generated great interest, especially in this era of increasing antimicrobial resistance. Among gram-positive resistant bacteria, the most...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci: Emerging Problems and New Prospects for Management

The prevalence of nosocomial infections due to Gram-positive bacteria has increased dramatically over the last two decades. In North America, Gram-positive cocci now are...

Bugs for the Next Century: The Issue of Antibiotic Resistance

Emerging antibiotic resistance is a global problem. Antibiotic resistance results in morbidity and mortality from treatment failures and increased health care costs. This article is...

Melioidosis Splenic Abscess—An Unusual Presentation as Osteomyelitis of Rib

A 74-year-old Chinese gentleman first presented in February 1999 with an abscess over his left lower chest. He was treated for pulmonary tuberculosis in...

Fluconazole Susceptibility of Candida Species in Singapore by Disc Diffusion Test

Candida species is becoming increasingly important as a cause of serious infections particularly in immunocompromised patients. Surveillance in the USA between April 1995 and...

Influenza in Singapore: Assessing the Burden of Illness in the Community

Influenza is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Morbidity in the working age group gives rise to frequent doctor visits and considerable...

The Role of Influenza Vaccine in Healthcare Workers in the Era of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

The new coronavirus responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) found its first victims in healthcare workers with attack rates of more than 50%...

The Relationship Between Scoring Systems and Cytokine Levels in Neonatal Sepsis

In newborn infants, the early diagnosis of sepsis is an important problem because the early signs and symptoms of septicaemia in term or preterm...

Exogenous Surfactant Therapy in Newborn Infants

Exogenous surfactant therapy is widely used in the management of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and may have a role in the management of...

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) — 150 Days On

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has been identified as a new clinical entity in the year 2003. It was on 12 March 2003...

HIV/AIDS in Children

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic in Asia has grown from a handful of cases to a major...

Sexually Transmitted Infections in Singapore Teenagers

Adolescence can be a difficult period for many individuals who have to navigate their way through complicated emotional, psychological, physical and social demands and...

Stress among emergency medicine residents during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

Dear Editor, The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted medical education1,2 and distressed clinicians.3,4 Understanding the impact of this pandemic on emergency medicine (EM) residents’ experience of...

Pressure injuries related to N95 respirator masks among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Dear Editor, The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak, which started in 2019, has affected millions of patients globally.1 Singapore is not spared, being one...

Oropharyngeal Carriage and Penicillin Resistance of Neisseria meningitidis in Primary School Children in Manisa, Turkey

Infections by Neisseria meningitidis are significant causes of mortality and morbidity in young children and adolescents. The epidemiology of serious meningococcal disease is an...

A Clinical Audit of Presentation and Outcome of Salmonella Septicaemia

Salmonella infection occurs globally and has diverse presentations including enteric fever, gastroenteritis, localised infection, chronic enteric or urinary carrier state and bacteraemias. Enteric fever,...

Laboratory Safety Aspects of SARS at Biosafety Level 2

In Singapore, the majority of patients suffering from the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) were cared for at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The dramatic...

Varicella Screening and Vaccination for Healthcare Workers at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Due to the increased morbidity and mortality of varicella zoster (VZ) in adults and increased exposure to chickenpox in hospitals, especially in paediatric hospitals,...

Transmission of Tuberculosis from Patient to Healthcare Workers in the Anaesthesia Context

Tuberculosis poses a very real problem to healthcare workers (HCWs). In Singapore, the prevalence of tuberculosis in the general population remains high at 44...

Severe Adult Chickenpox Infection Requiring Intensive Care

Chickenpox (varicella) in adults can be severe. It is frequently associated with pneumonia and immunosuppression as well as increased mortality rates. This article is available...

Skin Manifestation of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Infection – A Case Report and Review Article

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an aerobic gram-negative bacillus that is found in aquatic environments. It is a frequent coloniser of fluids used in the hospital...

Early Dengue Infection and Outcome Study (EDEN) – Study Design and Preliminary Findings

Dengue fever/dengue haemorrhagic fever (DF/DHF) is a re-emerging disease that is endemic in the tropical world. It is caused by 4 closely-related dengue viruses...

Seroepidemiology of Pertussis in the Adult Population of Singapore

Pertussis is a highly communicable, vaccine-preventable respiratory disease and is a frequent but often underestimated cause of prolonged cough illness in adults. Whereas in...

Travel Characteristics and Health Practices Among Travellers at the Travellers’ Health and Vaccination Clinic in Singapore

The South-east Asian region has seen recent increases in travel, and pre-travel health advice is important in protecting these travellers from risks. Travellers now...

Understanding the Super-spreading Events of SARS in Singapore

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was the first emerging infectious disease of this century with true epidemic potential. Worldwide, the virus caused a total...

SARS Plague: Duty of Care or Medical Heroism?

SARS has been described as a Chinese plague because it emerged from the colourful markets of wild animals and the exotic kitchens of Guangdong,...

SARS: How to Manage Future Outbreaks?

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV), which crossed from wild animals at live markets to man in mid-November...

SARS Revisited: Managing “Outbreaks” With “Communications”

In the short span of 3 years since SARS first appeared on the Asian landscape, terms like “risk communications” and “outbreak communications” have assumed...

Laboratory Containment of SARS Virus

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) emerged in November 2002 in Guangdong Province in China and quickly spread to 26 countries/areas with local transmission in...

SARS and Emerging Infectious Diseases: A Challenge to Place Global Solidarity above National Sovereignty

The majority of the world’s information about infectious disease outbreaks no longer comes from voluntary reporting by countries, the willingness of which is influenced...

SARS in Singapore – Key Lessons from an Epidemic

The 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak represented the most severe communicable disease challenge to the public health system and the government and...

Clinical and Laboratory Findings of SARS in Singapore

An outbreak of atypical pneumonia was recognised in Singapore soon after the release of a global alert by the World Health Organization (WHO) on...

SARS in Singapore – Predictors of Disease Severity

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a recently defined illness caused by a novel coronavirus. The outbreak in Singapore originated from Hong Kong via...

The Outbreak of SARS at Tan Tock Seng Hospital – Relating Epidemiology to Control

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an emerging infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus. Worldwide, the virus caused a total of 8098 reported...

Epidemiology and Control of SARS in Singapore

Since the 1990s, a number of infectious diseases have emerged in Singapore, despite its high standard of environmental hygiene, comprehensive childhood immunisation programme and...

Lessons From the SARS Crisis – More Relevant Than Ever

This issue of the Annals contains articles on the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). One might wonder what else there is to write about...

Modelling the Utility of Body Temperature Readings From Primary Care Consults for SARS Surveillance in an Army Medical Centre

There has been increasing interest in building surveillance systems capable of detecting outbreaks of infectious diseases, at the stage where clinical presentation would still...

Financing Newborn Screening Systems: US Experience

This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Establishing a Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programme

This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Impact of the National Hearing Screening Programme in China

This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Neuro-developmental Deficits in Early-treated Congenital Hypothyroidism

This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Considerations in Choosing Screening Conditions: One (US) Approach

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Anaerobic Culture of Diabetic Foot Infections: Organisms and Antimicrobial Susceptibilities

Singapore has a relatively high prevalence of diabetes mellitus, with a recent survey showing an age-standardised prevalence of 7.8% in 2004. Diabetic soft-tissue infections...

Infection Control Practices at the Singapore General Hospital: From a Swedish Point of View

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most common antibiotic resistant pathogen in many parts of the world, and is associated with significant in hospital...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Control in Singapore – Moving Forward

The significance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is indisputable. Its successful establishment and maintenance as the most important endemic healthcare associated infection (HCAI) results...

“Future” Threat of Gram-negative Resistance in Singapore

Gram-negative bacteria are important causes of urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, healthcare-associated pneumonia, and intra-abdominal infections. The increasing resistance of Enterobacteriaceae is a significant...

Polymyxins: A Review of the Current Status Including Recent Developments

Polymyxins are polypeptide antibiotic that becomes available for clinical use in the 1960s, but was replaced in the 1970s by antibiotics considered less toxic....

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus – A Review From a Singapore Perspective

The first isolates of high-level vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) were reported from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. Since then rates of VRE infection...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Control at the National University Hospital, Singapore: A Historical Perspective

The National University Hospital (NUH) was established in 1985 as the first restructured hospital and medical centre in Singapore. At its official opening in...

Gram-negative Resistance in Singapore: A Historical Perspective

Standardised antimicrobial susceptibility testing was first introduced to Singapore in the mid-1970s. The earliest Singapore antibiogram the author is aware of was published in...

In vitro Activities of Antifungal Drugs Against Yeasts Isolated from Blood Cultures and Moulds Isolated from Various Clinically Significant Sites in Singapore

Fungaemia carries with it high mortality rates and appropriate as well as timely antifungal therapy has been shown to be life saving. Amphotericin B...

A Retrospective Analysis of Antifungal Susceptibilities of Candida Bloodstream Isolates From Singapore Hospitals

Nosocomial infection with Candida species is increasing in significance worldwide. A recent review of positive blood cultures noted the relative increase in importance of...

Ertapenem for Treatment of Extended-spectrum Beta-lactamase-producing and Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative Bacteraemia

Extended-spectrum beta-lacatamase (ESBL)-producing gram-negative bacteraemia is optimally treated with carbapenem. In our institution, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are the most common and third...

Independent Predictors for Mortality in Patients with Positive Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Cultures

Stenotrophomonas (formally Pseudomonas or Xanthomonas) maltophilia is a gram-negative bacillus emerging as an opportunistic, nosocomial pathogen associated with a high mortality rate. Although it...

Antibiotic Resistance in Gram-negative Bacilli: A Singapore Perspective

In contrast to recent media reviews on gram-positive pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci and Clostridium difficile, the increasing complexity and multiplicity...

Antimicrobial Resistance: A New Beginning and the Need for Action

In this issue, the articles (historical, original and review papers) highlight the extent and problem of antimicrobial resistance in Singapore. The authors should be...

Healthcare Workers and HIV Health Issues

This paper aims to present a comprehensive review of issues related to HIV testing in healthcare workers (HCWs) and proposes appropriate measures in response...

The 2005 Dengue Epidemic in Singapore: Epidemiology, Prevention and Control

Dengue is the most important human viral disease transmitted by arthropod vectors. Some 2500 million people – two-fifths of the world’s population – are...

Antiviral Drugs for the Control of Pandemic Influenza Virus

Over the past 100 years there have been 3 major influenza virus pandemics, which have among them claimed millions of lives. In 1918 the...

Vaccines for Pandemic Influenza. The History of our Current Vaccines, their Limitations and the Requirements to Deal with a Pandemic Threat

The ongoing epizootic of avian influenza due to A (H5N1) viruses, the growing count of associated human fatalities, and the fear that this may...

Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza in Singapore

Avian influenza (AI) or “bird flu” is a highly infectious disease of birds. AI viruses are negative single-stranded enveloped RNA viruses that belong to...

Preparing for an Influenza Pandemic in Singapore

The last influenza pandemics occurred in 1957 and 1968. Few remember the pandemic in 1968 in Singapore as it was relatively mild. This article is...

Avian Influenza and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness in Hong Kong

In 1997, Hong Kong became reputed by identifying the first instance of human infection with avian influenza H5N1. A total of 18 cases occurred...

Towards Mutual Trust, Transparency and Equity in Virus Sharing Mechanism: The Avian Influenza Case of Indonesia

Since July 2005 to December 2007, Indonesia has reported the highest number of influenza A (H5N1) human cases in the world, i.e., 116 cases...

A Global Perspective on Avian Influenza

The world is confronted by many important public health challenges, some of which constitute potentially devastating global threats. Prime among these is the threat...

Twentieth Century Influenza Pandemics in Singapore

Tropical countries such as Singapore, although without well-defined influenza seasons, are also affected by influenza epidemics and pandemics. Twenty per cent of Singapore’s population...

The Efficacy of Influenza Vaccination in Healthcare Workers in a Tropical Setting: A Prospective Investigator Blinded Observational Study

Influenza causes significant morbidity, mortality and economic impact in Singapore. According to a recent report, there are about 4.2 million cases of influenza-like illness...

A Cross-sectional Study of Primary-care Physicians in Singapore on Their Concerns and Preparedness for an Avian Influenza Outbreak

Outbreaks of avian influenza (AI) caused by the H5N1 subtype in several Asian countries have raised concern all over the world. AI is endemic...

Clinical and Epidemiological Features of Patients With Confirmed Avian Influenza Presenting to Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital, Indonesia, 2005-2007

The first human cases of H5N1 avian influenza (AI) virus infection were reported in Indonesia in July 2005. On 19 September 2005, the Ministry...

To Kill a Mocking Bird Flu?

Why devote an entire issue of the Annals to pandemic influenza when there are so many other pressing health needs around us? With a...

Concerns, Perceived Impact and Preparedness in an Avian Influenza Pandemic – a Comparative Study between Healthcare Workers in Primary and Tertiary Care

The danger posed by emerging infectious diseases has become greater in the past few years with the World Health Organization (WHO) warning that the...

Laboratory-acquired Brucellosis

Brucellosis is a serious disease seen worldwide and has been historically known as undulant fever, Bang’s disease, Gibraltar fever, Mediterranean fever, and Malta fever....

The Utility of Liver Function Tests in Dengue

Dengue infection is endemic in many countries along the tropical and subtropical belt, with more than 100 million cases and 24,000 deaths annually worldwide....

Treatment Gets Better, but Leprosy Remains a Global Problem

Rising standards of living and the provision of effective medical treatment have resulted in good control of leprosy in many parts of the world,...

The Annals: Welcoming the future of Medicine

What started as a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, the capital city of China’s Hubei Province, in December 2019, has since evolved...

Development of Ceftazidime Resistance in Burkhoderia pseudomallei in a Patient Experiencing Melioidosis with Mediastinal Lymphadenitis

Melioidosis caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei is endemic to Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. Melioidosis was nicknamed the “greater mimicker” because of its diverse clinical...

Human Rights as a Cornerstone of AIDS Prevention, Treatment and Public Health Measures

The International AIDS Conference (IAC) and the Singapore AIDS Conference (SAC) are biannual meetings held on even years. Both these meetings are occasions for...

Changing Epidemiology of Enteric Fevers in Singapore

Typhoid and paratyphoid fever – collectively referred to as enteric fevers - are serious systemic infections caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi)...

Expanding the Scope of Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV Infection

The 2010 Global Report on AIDS contains some welcome news: the number of annual AIDS-related deaths has continued to decrease from a peak of...

A Cross-Sectional Study on Reference Ranges of Normal Oral Temperatures Among Students in Singapore

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), an infection caused by the SARS Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), was imported into Singapore in late February 2003 by a local...

Changing Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Markers of Adults in Singapore

In Singapore, epidemiological surveillance and research on hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection were initiated when acute viral hepatitis was made a notifiable disease under...

Evaluation on the Effectiveness of the National Childhood Immunisation Programme in Singapore, 1982-2007

Singapore has a comprehensive National Childhood Immunisation Programme (NCIP) which first covered smallpox (1862), followed by diphtheria (1938), tuberculosis (TB) (1957), poliomyelitis (1958), pertussis...

Epidemiological Characteristics of Cholera in Singapore, 1992-2007

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease that usually presents as abrupt massive watery diarrhoea and vomiting. The causative organism is Vibrio cholerae which is...

Influenza B Outbreak among Influenza-vaccinated Welfare Home Residents in Singapore

Influenza has a major impact on the health of residents of long-term residential care facilities (LTCF). Residents of LTCFs are especially vulnerable to influenza...

Beyond Blood Safety

World Blood Donor Day takes place on 14 June each year. Established in 2005 by the World Health Assembly, it aims to raise global...

Afterword

My first involvement with pandemic influenza preparedness planning began in January 2004, when I attended an urgent meeting organised by the Ministry of Public...

Use of Healthcare Worker Sickness Absenteeism Surveillance as a Potential Early Warning System for Influenza Epidemics in Acute Care Hospitals

The global spread of emerging infectious diseases can strain resources and result in healthcare staff absenteeism, as was the case during the severe acute...

Streptococcus pneumoniae Bacteraemia in a Young Man with Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) 2009

The contributory role of bacterial infection to severe influenza illness during a pandemic is not entirely clear. The post-mortem samples of those who died...

Surveys of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices on the Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic

Statistical surveys are in general an efficient and flexible means of collecting a wide range of information from large numbers of respondents. These are...

2009 Pandemic Influenza H1N1: Paediatric Perspectives

The pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, containing genes from avian, human and swine influenza viruses, emerged in North America, and caused illness in more than...

Severe Infection with H1N1 Requiring Intensive Care – Lessons for Preparedness Programmes

Severe cases of influenza have traditionally generated much interest. The pandemic of 1957 provided instructive materials on the subject, with publications on the pulmonary...

International Health Regulations: Lessons From the Influenza Pandemic in Singapore

By virtue of the International Health Regulations (IHR) which came into force on 15 June 2007, countries are required to report specific infectious diseases...

Influenza A (H1N1-2009) Pandemic in Singapore – Public Health Control Measures Implemented and Lessons Learnt

The novel influenza A(H1N1) outbreak was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 June 2009. We describe the public...

Attitudes of Patients, Visitors and Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Hospital Towards Influenza A (H1N1) Response Measures

Following the announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) that outbreaks of a novel influenza virus had occurred in Mexico and several parts of...

Outbreak of Novel Influenza A (H1N1-2009) Linked to a Dance Club

Influenza A (H1N1-2009) is a novel strain of influenza virus. The infection is thought to have first occurred in Mexico in March 2009, and...

Obstetric Outcomes of Influenza A H1N1 (2009) Infection in Pregnancy – Experience of a Singapore Tertiary Hospital

Influenza A H1N1 (2009) is a new viral strain containing gene segments from human, swine and avian lineages. Soon after reports of human cases...

Tracking the Emergence of Pandemic Influenza A/H1N1/2009 and its Interaction with Seasonal Influenza Viruses in Singapore

The global preparedness that followed the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreaks of 2003 and the re-emergence of a potentially pandemic avian influenza A/...

An Epidemiological Study of 1348 Cases of Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Admitted to Singapore Hospitals from July to September 2009

On 17 April 2009, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) determined that febrile respiratory illness occurring in 2 children residing in adjacent counties...

Outbreak of Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1-2009) in Singapore, May to September 2009

The first cases of infection with a novel influenza A (H1N1) strain were reported in 6 cases in California and 2 cases in Texas...

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009: Clinical and Laboratory Findings of the First Fifty Cases in Singapore

Just over a year ago, the swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus emerged in Veracruz, Mexico, and rapidly alarmed public health and influenza experts by...

The Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Pandemic in Singapore

Just over a year ago, the swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus emerged in Veracruz, Mexico, and rapidly alarmed public health and influenza experts by...

Tuberculosis – An Under-appreciated Disease

Tuberculosis (TB, as usually abbreviated) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in many countries, and a significant public health problem worldwide. The...

Knowledge and Practice of Household Mosquito Breeding Control Measures between a Dengue Hotspot and Non-Hotspot in Singapore

Dengue is the most common mosquito-borne viral disease in the world and its severity is reflected by a 30-fold increase over the last 50...

Challenges Facing the Control of Leprosy in the Indian Context

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae and mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves, the eyes and the mucosa of the...

Normative Data for Quantitative Calcaneal Ultrasound in Asian Children

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is currently the gold standard for the assessment of bone mineral density (BMD). It is the commonest tool used...

Plasma IP-10 could identify early lung disease in severe COVID-19 patients

Dear Editor, The global pandemic of SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has imposed tremendous strain on healthcare resources worldwide, as a significant proportion of patients require...

An Interesting Finding in a Patient with Chronic Diarrhoea

A 25-year-old man presented with intermittent selflimiting episodes of diarrhoea for 5 months. At times, he opened his bowel 8 times a day with...

Adverse reactions and safety profile of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines among Asian military personnel

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant changes in the way of life for many around the world.1,2 After more than a year, many...

Factors reducing inappropriate attendances to emergency departments before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multicentre study

Since the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was reported in China in late December 2019, the pandemic has spread throughout the world,...

Neonatal Outcome of the Late Preterm Infant (34 to 36 Weeks): The Singapore Story

Neonatologists were caught looking the other way in the early part of the millennium. While they were keenly following the progress of extreme preterms...

Re: An Alternative Diagnosis: Bartonella Neuroretinitis

I would like to thank the authors for the reply to our case report. The differential diagnosis of Bartonella neuroretinitis in this patient was...

An Alternative Diagnosis: Bartonella Neuroretinitis

We refer to the letter ‘Lyme Neuroretinitis in Singapore: A Diagnostic Dilemma’ published in the April 2012 Vol. 41 No. 4 issue of the...

MERS-CoV: Where Are We Now?

Prior to 2002, coronaviruses were known mainly for causing mild human upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and enteric and respiratory infections in many animals....

Diagnosing Bacteraemia Early in Older Adults

Sepsis is a prevalent and important cause of morbidity and mortality in the general population. Approximately 750,000 patients in the United States alone develop...

Severe Vitamin B12 Deficiency in a 7-Month-Old Boy

Infantile vitamin B12 deficiency often affects children born to mothers whose nutritional intake is inadequate. We describe a 7-month-old boy with a 2-month history...

Risk Factors for Severe Adenovirus Infection in Children during an Outbreak in Singapore

Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are well known pathogens that cause a variety of human illnesses. They are non-enveloped, linear double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) viruses. More...

Anaerobic Bacteraemia Revisited: Species and Susceptibilities

Over the last 2 decades, the importance of anaerobic bacteraemia has undergone various shifts in opinion. Early studies in the 1970s reported that anaerobes...

Treatment of Ewing sarcoma in children: Results from a single centre

Dear Editor, Ewing sarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal tumour that presents as a bone or soft-tissue sarcoma. Translocations involving the EWS gene on chromosome 22q12...

Immunomodulator use in paediatric severe sepsis and septic shock

Paediatric sepsis is one of the main causes of childhood mortality.1 Globally, paediatric severe sepsis and septic shock accounts for 6.2% to 23.1% of...

A rare case of thigh asymmetry in an infant

A 6-month-old baby boy presented with asymmetry of thighs since birth. On clinical examination, anteromedial aspect of the left thigh was bulky with pale...

Safety and side effect profile of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers: A tertiary hospital experience in Singapore

The newly emerged coronavirus virus 2019 (COVID-19) disease was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) on...

The Greying Pandemic: Implications of Ageing Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Population in Singapore

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a global public health issue. It is estimated that there are 37.9 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) today....

The “Jeff Cut”: A simple innovation to minimise up-riding sleeves of protective gown

Personal protective equipment (PPE) including the N95 mask, face shield, cap, splash-resistant gown and gloves are worn by frontline healthcare workers for various duties...

Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in Malaysian infants

Vitamin D deficiency, a worldwide health problem, is also prevalent in tropical countries. It is estimated that 15% of the world’s population are either...

Impact of true fetal mosaicism on prenatal screening and diagnosis

Over the past decade, the non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) has increasingly been used as a method for prenatal screening for trisomy 21 (T21) and...

A review of child sexual abuse cases presenting to a paediatric emergency department

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a global public health issue with adverse short- and long-term repercussions. Formal definitions of CSA and the age for...

ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in post-COVID-19 patients: A case series

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with thromboembolic phenomenon in the early phase of disease. Growing evidence suggests a hypercoagulable state as well...

Prevalence of thyroid malignancy and hormonal dysfunction following radiation exposure in childhood

The incidence of thyroid cancer has been steadily increasing worldwide. Childhood radiation exposure is a known risk factor for thyroid malignancy. However, data on...

Pelvic mass mimicking advanced tubo-ovarian malignancy with hepatic metastasis

A 49-year-old woman presented with mild pain in her lower abdomen and changes in bowel habits for 2 months. She also experienced 20kg of...

Evaluation of the QIAstat-Dx Respiratory SARS-CoV-2 Panel for early diagnosis of COVID-19

An effective response to the SARS-CoV-2 that has caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic1 requires rapid and accurate diagnostic testing. We evaluate the...

Antibiotic stewardship algorithm to rationalise antibiotic use among hospitalised COVID-19 patients

As presentation of COVID-19 may mimic that of bacterial pneumonia, antibiotics are often prescribed. Concerns regarding overuse of antibiotics are now being raised particularly...

Attendance for ischaemic stroke before and during COVID-19 lockdown in Singapore

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has impacted healthcare systems worldwide. Globally, visits to the emergency department have fallen as much as 25% during...

Radiological changes on chest CT following COVID-19 infection

COVID-19 infection is associated with high rates of hospitalisation and mortality, placing healthcare systems under strain. There are many reports regarding the non-contrast-enhanced high-resolution...

Stress and resilience of paediatric healthcare workers during COVID-19

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused multiple changes in healthcare systems as governments implement measures to boost acute services. Healthcare workers (HCWs)...

Severe COVID-19 and coagulopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Manifestations of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) span a wide clinical spectrum, from asymptomatic carriers to critical illness with a wide range of complications....

Estimating the impact of COVID-19-induced coagulopathy

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exerted significant strain on healthcare worldwide. Mostly asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 is...

Impact of COVID-19 on mental health and occupational burnout in a surgical unit in Singapore

In this study, we assessed the impact of COVID-19 on the psychological well-being and burnout among staff who manage critically ill general surgery and...

Optimum early orthopaedic surgery in COVID-19 patients

Multiple guidelines have been established regarding the management of COVID-19 patients. However, there remains a paucity regarding specific guidelines on the optimal timing for...

Vulnerability to rumours during the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore

The global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has come with increased psychological burden. In several meta-analyses, depression and anxiety symptoms have been found...

Behavioural changes during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results of a nationwide survey in Singapore

In response to the global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Singapore undertook a multipronged approach to contain the pandemic. Of note, when community...

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on global mental health: From the general public to healthcare workers

The COVID-19 pandemic began in late 2019 and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020. To decrease...

Living with COVID-19: The road ahead

The COVID-19 pandemic has made an unprecedented impact on global morbidity, mortality and healthcare measures to contain the infection.1 Multiple waves of infections in...

The Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) Pandemic

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic began in early December in Wuhan, the 7th most populous city in Mainland China, and...

Precautions When Providing Dental Care During Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and was first reported to the World Health Organization...

Autism Spectrum Disorder and COVID-19: Helping Caregivers Navigate the Pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted societies globally. As of 11 May 2020, 53 children have been infected with COVID-19 in Singapore...

Cross-reaction of Sera from COVID-19 Patients with SARS-CoV Assays

SARS-CoV-2 is a new zoonotic coronavirus (CoV) that emerged in Wuhan, China, which was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on 31...

COVID-19 and Singapore: From Early Response to Circuit Breaker

The COVID-19 pandemic first broke out in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, where a cluster of pneumonia cases was reported and the novel coronavirus...

Comparative Analysis of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children

Singapore confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on 23 January 2020 in a Chinese national from Wuhan, and its first paediatric case on February...

Managing a Renal Transplant Programme During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Practical Experience from a Singapore Transplant Centre

As infrastructure and policies were being put in place to combat COVID-19, we recognised that specialty-specific policies and protocols had to be drawn up...

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): The Singapore Experience. A Review of the First Eight Months

Singapore reported its first imported case of COVID-19 on 23 January 20201 and its first COVID-19 deaths on 21 March 2020.2 The WHO declared...

Pregnancy Outcomes in COVID-19: A Prospective Cohort Study in Singapore

Since the first cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in pregnancy were described, significant concerns have been raised about the potentially increased susceptibility of...

Obesity in COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing global pandemic infection by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is established that increasing...

Resuming otolaryngology services following a COVID-19 lockdown in Singapore

When the COVID-19 outbreak first occurred, we tweaked our department workflows to cope with the various demands of our practice and the pandemic. When...

COVID-19: Lessons from Thailand

The COVID-19 pandemic has massively disrupted the social and economy of many countries. Thailand has been successful in controlling the spread of the disease...

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae carriage in polyclinic attendees and national servicemen presenting with diarrhoea

Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess is an invasive syndrome that mainly affects people living in East Asia. It especially affects adults with diabetes and is...

Importance of antenatal blood group typing and antibody screening in non-ABO/Rh haemolytic disease of the newborn

Haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) is a severe, potentially fatal alloimmune condition where maternal antibodies are produced, transported across the placenta...

Videoconsultation to overcome barriers during COVID-19

Since February 2020, Government Restructured Hospitals in Singapore began deferring non-urgent outpatient appointments. This aimed to facilitate physical distancing and reallocate healthcare resources to...

Teleophthalmology and its evolving role in a COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review

The World Health Organization declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020. To control the outbreak,...

Impact of cardiovascular diseases on severity of COVID-19 patients: A systematic review

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly from China to other countries around the world, with the World Health Organization characterising it as a...

Cost of inpatient rehabilitation for children with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury

The cost of rehabilitation for children post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) is significant. The annual total healthcare cost of TBI had been estimated to range...

Positive RT-PCR detected in patients recovered from COVID-19

Positive real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid following 2 consecutive negative RT-PCR tests have been reported in China and Korea....

Cerebral venous thrombosis in a patient with mild COVID-19 infection

Emerging reports suggest venous and arterial thromboembolic diseases can complicate recovery from COVID-19. Postulated mechanisms include hypercoagulability, hypoxia, immobilisation, excessive inflammation and diffuse intravascular...

Decrease in emergency department attendances during COVID-19 especially in school-going children

Health-seeking behaviour varies during a pandemic. Early reports have suggested reduced attendances at emergency departments (EDs), especially in paediatric patients and in patients with...

Alternating hemiplegia of childhood presenting as recurrent apnoea in a term newborn infant

Recurrent apnoea in a term infant is usually pathologic, warranting a thorough aetiologic evaluation. An accurate diagnosis is essential in guiding subsequent management and...

Paediatric emergency department attendances during COVID-19 and SARS in Singapore

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020, with over 110 million cumulative cases...

Epidemiology and risk stratification of minor head injuries in school-going children

Head injuries are common childhood injuries that present to paediatric emergency departments. Falls are the most common cause in young children, while contact sports...

Causes, functional outcomes and healthcare utilisation of people with cerebral palsy in Singapore

Cerebral palsy (CP) describes a group of permanent, but often changing, disorders that affect movement and posture, causing activity limitation, attributed to nonprogressive disturbances...

The Singapore Cerebral Palsy Registry: An important new resource for cerebral palsy research

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a common, lifelong disorder of movement and posture resulting from an insult or maldevelopment of the developing brain. The movement...

Mental Health Strategies to Combat the Psychological Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Beyond Paranoia and Panic

On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) an international public health emergency after the...

Rapid Progression to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Review of Current Understanding of Critical Illness from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Infection

In this report, we describe a patient who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with rapid clinical deterioration. Unfortunately, not much is known about...

Epidemiology and Control of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in Singapore, 2001-2007

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common childhood viral infection, which is typically mild and self-limiting. It is characterised by a brief...