SARS is highly contagious and doctors say it can easily spread to others n close contact with ill patients through breathing in droplets from sneezing or coughing. Touching door handles, lift buttons or water taps that have been contaminated by droplets from an infected persons’ coughs or sneezes is another way to pass on the virus.

Dr Jau Fei-Chen
Neither drugs nor doctors can help resolve on illnesses.
A man has a pile of junk inside his home, and the house becomes infested with rats. After exterminating the rats, he finds cockroaches; and after killing all the cockroaches, he finds ants...
In fact, the best way to get rid of all the pests is to clean the house and get rid of the pile of junk. To solve the problem of illness and disease, the best way is to keep the entire body healthy and strong.

News reported on Straits Times - 24 Apr
Singapore’s approach earns foreigners’ trust
Singapore’s battle plan against Sars has won a vote of confidence from foreign investors.
They praise the Government for its swift and decisive action and transparent approach, said Trade and Industry Minister George Yeo yesterday.
Some, like the chairman of British bank Standard Chartered, Sir Patrick Gillam, have no qualms about flying into town as planned.
He will be at the bank’s 150th anniversary charity gala tonight at the Ritz-Carlton.
Likewise, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has not altered plans to visit Singapore and other countries in South-East Asia next month.
Laying out these reassuring facts, Brigadier-General (NS) Yeo told Parliament how the Government earned such a “high level of trust.”.
One crucial factor was the decision to put out honest and accurate information in a transparent manner, to dispel any misconceptions about the Sars situation here.
BG Yeo said: “It’s to be expected that because of the repetition of certain images, people who are not so familiar with Singapore get a distorted picture.”
So the Economic Development Board (EDB) and International Enterprise Singapore have been giving daily updates to all their clients.
The feedback from investors? “Candid and useful,” an EDB spokesman told the Straits Times yesterday.
EDB chairman Teo Ming Kian has also taken pains to write to CEOs.
For his efforts, he received a letter from the head of an American electrochemical company based in New York, BG Yeo revealed.
The American boss said that Singapore’s decisive and effective handling of the serious crisis might lead to significant economic opportunities for the Republic in the future.
He added that while many American companies would hesitate before investing seriously in countries, which are not dealing properly with the crisis, they might be persuaded to put their money here.
Indeed, the American company is planning to do just that, said the CEO. Why? Because “ there is a high degree of confidence in the Government in its willingness and ability to protect its citizens as well as many major foreign investments.”
This was one of many letters from organizations, including the American Chamber of Commerce here, said BG Yeo.
The chamber’s chairman Kristin Paulson yesterday said: “ Singapore has taken a leadership role, globally, in the fight against Sars and its approach is a model to be adopted by other countries.”
Singapore’s decision on focus on the public health aspect on the public health aspect of the problem and resist having a huge economic stimulus package also received a nod from the Asian Wall Street Journal in an editorial yesterday headlined “Sars bail-outs are a bad idea.”
Significant as well us the World Health Organisation’s approval, said BG Yeo. While it made the Toronto mayor “hopping mad” by putting the Canadian city on the same travel warning list as Hongkong, Guangzhou and Beijing, it sees Singapore’s actions “as a very important demonstration and what should be done”, he said.

Beauty and the Bug: No fear here
Sars or no Sars, Miss Sweden 2000 Valerie Aflalo was determined to enjoy her holiday in Singapore.
The 26-year-old beauty queen and her boyfriend arrived here last Saturday (19 Apr).
The model-cum-fashion designer told the New Paper before leaving on Wednesday that they checked on the situation before traveling, but found no reason to worry.
The couple said their government described the risks as “incredibly small”.
One impression that stuck with them during their trip: It’s not as bad as it sounds.
Ms Aflalo’s boyfriend, 27-year-old sales executive Kevin Freij, explained: “When you watch the news on television, it seems as if the disease is spreading uncontrollably. With these measures here, life can go on normally.”

22 Mar
TTSH is designated as the only hospital in Singapore to deal with all SARS patients. It closed its emergency department (ED), and all patients are redirected to the other hospitals. The hospital closes its outpatient service as well, so all people are advised to go to other hospital to seek treatment.

29 Mar
Italian doctor Carlo Urbani, died in Bangkok on Mar 29 after identifying the SARS virus as responsible for the outbreak of atypical pneumonia in Vietnam.

The new global enemy – Sars
The Sars has now hit 13 countries, affected 1,550 people, and left 54 people dead according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as of Mar 29. And the numbers are growing.

WHO and Atlanta’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is getting close to knowing for sure what is causing Sars.

WHO virologist and epidemiologist, Dr Klaus Stohr, said: “Date from many network laboratories indicate that a coronavirus is the primary cause of the disease.

“This virus is unlike any known human or animal member of this virus family. It is consistently found in specimens from Sars patients from many countries.”

The coronavirus is known to cause the common cold which, by the way, has no cure yet. Researchers say that evidence also shows that this could be a possibly a strain never seen before in humans.

But the nature of viruses being borderless, it will never remain in one country for long, said Dr Margaret Hamburg, Vice President for biological programmes at the Nuclear Threat Initiative in Washington .

Dr Hamburg said:” As Sars demonstrates, national borders offer little impediment to such threats . One nation’s problem can soon became every nation’s problem.”

30 Mar
TTSH announced the lift segregation plan to facilitate the following groups to the wards which include visitors, TTSH staff, SARS patients as well as non SARS patients. The changes will take place with effect on 30 Mar, Sun from 15 00 hrs onwards.

01 Apr
13 people discharged and four of them were TTSH staff. One of the TTSH staff and another patient was also transferred out from ICU.

02 Apr
Infected 98
ICU
Warded 57
Discharged
Dead

The NUH doctor’s condition is stable. It appeared that he had exposure without infection precautions. NUH is tracing and monitoring staff who were exposed at the same time and no one else had come down with the symptoms yet.

03 Apr
5th SARS death
New definition of SARS – imported vs index cases

Infected 100
ICU 13
Warded
Discharged
Dead

New definition for Sars patients
Dr Heng Been Hoon in the Epidemiology deparment of TTSH has given a more accurate information on the classification of the SARS cases. We have 7 “imported” cases – this refer to the cases who brought SARS into Singapore. An “index” case refers to the patient, who after contracted SARS, spread it to other people around him/her.

The number of people discharged was 20, among them 5 were TTSH staff, including 1 suspect and 1 for observation.

The 5th SARS death in the country. The patient, Madam Seah Kuay Chee, 78 was only identified as a Sars patient on Tue, Apr 1. She was warded at National University Hospital (NUH) when she developed a fever and was moved to TTSH on Wednesday, but died the same day. However, she acquired SARS while she was warded in TTSH and then admitted to NUH. NUH monitored her situation and once she developed the symptoms of SARS, she was transferred back to TTSH. She passed away.

7TH Index Case
The mother of the Indonesian student who brought Sars into Singapore has been infected by the virus.

This makes the 42-year-old Indonesian woman, who went to Hong Kong and Guangdong for a holiday in Mar, became Singapore’s 7th index case.

Her 17-year-old son, a Bowen Secondary School student, was the fifth index case. The family had gone for a holiday on Mar 15 and returned on Mar 23. The next day, she started feeling unwell and was admitted to TTSH as a suspect case on Mar 25.

TTSH staff given thermometer to take own temperature
TTSH staff were each given a thermometer, and they were told to take their temperatures 3 times a day and report that to their supervisor. All supervisors were made responsible for ensuring compliance from their staff and monitoring their well-being.

Anyone who develops a fever were told to cease all activities, put on the mask and see the Emergency Department immediately. Once given a MC, all affected were to stay at home to rest. However, if the conditions worsen, the staff must return to the Emergency Department.

With effect from today, the Chinese newspaper, Lianhe Zaobao has dedicated one full page to publishing praises and words of encouragement for TTSH staff from the public.

Ambulances for Sars suspects
A fleet of 32 ambulances is on standby to pick up anyone suspected of having Sars, in a move to safeguard the public transport system.

The Health Ministry will send an ambulance for anyone who starts displaying Sars symptoms while on quarantine at home, travelers from Sars-hit areas who feel unwell while here, and those referred by general practitioners and dentists.

People identified as Sars suspects during screening at Changi Airport will also get an ambulance ride direct to TTSH, the Sars center.

This will help to address public concerns of being exposed to Sars on MRT trains, buses and taxis.

04 Apr
6th SARS death

The designer who went to Hong Kong and Beijing, took a TAXI to SGH before being transferred to TTSH, died this morning. This was the 4th import case. She became the youngest person, at the age of 29 to die from the virus. The Ministry felt strange that she could not fight the virus. Apparently, she was very sick by the time she arrived back in Singapore. She was in the ICU for the last 8 days. However, her mother and the taxi driver who sent her to the hospital did not have any of the SARS symptoms, which proves once again that not everyone who is exposed to SARS will definitely get the infection.

Relief Fund set up
A relief funds has been set up to ease the financial and emotional burdens of Sars patienst and their families. The Sars Relief Fund will be administered by a committee from the Singapore Medical Association (SMA) and the Singapore Nurses Association. The campaign will run as long as required and contributions can be sent via the SMS. Call 62200438 or email [email protected] for more information.

Indoor Stadium boost precautionary measure
The Singapore Indoor Stadium has boosted precautionary measures against Sars by disinfecting all touchable surfaces including seats, walls, railings and toilets. Artist and back stage rooms have also been disinfected, it said in a statement.

Star Cruises to screen passengers
Star Cruises will screen passengers and order its crew to wear face masks to limit the risk of the virus infecting people on its Asian cruises. The company said it doesn’t plan to cancel its cruises which call at China, Hong Kong and Singapore. The new measures are to “provide additional peace of mind”, Star Cruises said in a statement. Other steps include cleaning the ship more frequently and not allowing crew to take shore leave in affected countries. Singapore is also widening checks on arriving ships. The checks have been extended on arriving ships. The checks have been extended to the Singapore Cruise Centre to cover arrivals from affected countries.

How did the nurse at KKH contract the SARS?
One of the TTSH staff was admitted as a suspect case of SARS. Prior to that, she had visited KKH. As such an entire antenatal clinic had to be closed and 17 staff quarantined. The clinic closure caused 600 antenatal appointments to be rescheduled at KKH.

How did the doctor at NUH contract the Sars?
It appears that the doctor had exposure without infection precautions earlier on. NUH is tracing and monitoring the staff who were exposed at the same time and no one else has come down. The incubation since exposure period (8 days) is ending soon.
06 Apr
Infected 106
ICU 13
Warded 15
Discharged 72
Dead 6


The Ministry announced that the schools will be closed for an extended period and the schools of different levels will open in different phases. The dates for the school to reopen are as follows:-
Polys
Secondary Schools
Primary Schools

We have 3 new cases of Sars reported bringing the total to 106. The new cases include an SGH doctor, a TTSH nurse and a man who may have come into contact with a Sars patient when visiting his mother at TTSH.

23 staff from SGH’s Ward 57 and 58 have now been admitted to TTSH: One is a probable Sars case, six are admitted for observation and 16 are suspect cases. Anyone who visited the two wards from Mar 20 and Apr 5 can call 6321 3591, between 8 am and 10 pm, for free health checks.

72 patients have now been discharged with 28 still warded; 13 are in intensive care, including the 20-year-old Ngee Ann Polytechnic student and the mother of the Sars patient transferred from NUH yesterday.

07 Apr
Infected 113
ICU
Warded
Discharged
Dead 8

Singapore recorded 2 deaths on the same day

First Medical Staff in Singapore die from Sars
First medical staff in Singapore died from Sars. Dr Ong Hock Su, contracted SARS when he operated on a patient on – date. At that time, SARS was not yet identified and everyone know so little of the virus. No precautions was taken then. His condition had improved and was considered stable. Unfortunately, he fell in the toilet and was found unconscious.

Esther Mok’s mother is the second victim on the same day. She was the first patient who was treated with the blood serum of the recovered Sars patient. Initially, she did show some signs of improvement. She was dependent on the ventilator, but after the treatment, she only need to rely on 90% on the ventilator.

Three new SARS cases

08 Apr
9th SARS death
Infected 118
ICU 12
Warded 22
Discharged 75
Dead 9

A man in his 50s, who had visited a patient at TTSH, has died of Sars.

5 more people have been infected with SARS, and this brings the number infected to 118. Of the 5 new cases, two nurses and a patient were from the Singapore General Hospital’s (SGH) Ward 57 and 58. The fourth was a TTSH occupational therapist attached to the Ang Mo Kio Community Hospital. The fifth was a MediaCorp staff who had visited the Orange Valley Nursing Home.

09 Apr

Infected 126
ICU 14
Warded 28
Discharged 75
Dead 9

8 New Cases
7 of the new cases linked to SGH cluster. Eighth case a friend of Mediacorp staff. So far, 46 cases linked to SGH Wards 57 and 58. Of these, 14 are probable and 32 suspect. Total number of now stands at 126 with 3 cases of children under 18. Of the 14 in intensive care, 2 were admitted yesterday.

Singapore Town Council steps up cleaning

Singapore Town Council have been told to step up their cleaning and maintenance if HDB estates in view of the Sars outbreak. The Ministry of National Development and the Health Ministry have issued guidelines for the cleaning of common areas.

Malaysia bar tourists from China

Malaysia became the first country to bar tourists from China. The freeze, however, excluded those traveling for official or business purposes. They, however, must produce medical letters declaring them free from the virus. It has also imposed visa restrictions on Canada, Hong Kong and Vietnam.

The Malaysian Education Ministry said on Saturday that schools must be closed temporarily if more than a quarter of the students show signs of Sars.

Hong Kong authorities issued an urgent appeal for people who traveled on a Cathay Pacific flight, CX402 on Mar 30, to Taipei to come forward after a passenger developed Sars.

International Airlines cancelled 165 flights or 31 percent of total services at Hong Kong International airport. Pilots of Air India, India’s International carrier, have refused to fly to Hong Kong. The matter has now gone to the labour court, said Air India spokesman Jitendra Bhargav.

The US authorities said there are now 148 Sars cases in the United States, mainly involving people who have traveled in parts of Asia hit by the epidemic.

Top surgeon accuses Beijing of downplaying Sars spread
A prominent Beijing surgeon and Communist Party member, in a highly unusual break with the official line, alleged that the government is playing down the spread of Sars and that the actual number of cases in the Chinese capital is at least several times the official tally.

Dr Jiang Yanyong, former chief of surgery for the city’s No 301 military hospital, made the allegations in an email to a state-run television channel late last week.

Official figures:
Deaths – 4
Infected – 19

Dr Jiang:
Deaths – 7
Infected – 60

Is SARS air borne?
The rapid spread of SARS to residents of Amoy Gardens apartment complex in Hong Kong has baffled and alarmed many health officials and led to the theories that the virus could be air borne, spread through water supply or by cockcroaches.

If SARS is airborne, then a lot more staff at TTSH would have been infected by the virus. Since it has been designated as the only hospital in Singapore to deal with SARS on the 22 Mar and also in its bid to contain the virus, there were only 9 deaths so far and 118 infected to date. TTSH has 3,800 over staff and more people would have been infected with SARS if it is really air borne. Thus the evidence suggests that there could be other contributing factor that propel the spread of the virus in Amoy Gardens case in Hong Kong other than the theory that it is air borne.

10 Apr

Infected 133
ICU 13
Warded 28
Discharged 75
Dead 9

Singapore reports 7 new SARS cases, total now 133
Singapore has reported seven new Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) cases, bringing the total number of cases here to 133.
Five are staff, patients and visitors linked to the outbreak at Singapore General Hospital.
Another case is a Tan Tock Seng nurse who was in contact with a patient before the patient was diagnosed with SARS.
And the other is the husband of a patient who broke quarantine.
She was transferred from National University Hospital to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on 5 April and is in intensive care.
A total of 47 patients are hospitalised and 13 are in intensive care.
The Ngee Ann Polytechnic student has left the ICU.

Source of SGH SARS infections traced to one patient
The Health Ministry says that it has traced the source of the unusual outbreak of SARS at Singapore General Hospital to a 60-year-old man who came into contact with a SARS patient.
The man had not yet been diagnosed at Tan Tock Seng Hospital before he was admitted to SGH for a whole host of other serious illness that masked the usual symptoms of SARS.
According to MOH, the man had first been admitted to Tan Tock Seng for chronic kidney disease and diabetes.
He was later admitted to SGH for gastro-intestinal bleeding. He had a low grade fever, but this turned into a high fever.
Doctors determined he had an E.Coli infection and were treating him. But his chest X-rays were still normal.
In fact, 11 days after being admitted to SGH the man no longer had a fever.
But the next day, on April 4, his chest X-ray showed signs of pneumonia and he was diagnosed as a SARS case.
The SARS outbreak at SGH was detected the next day and a day later, patients and staff were moved to Tan Tock Seng.
From those linked to SGH wards 57 and 58, there are 33 suspected and 19 probable SARS cases.
Two of them are in intensive care.

14 Apr
Infected 162
ICU 18
Warded 22
Discharged 85
Dead 10 (+2)

2 more victims died from Sars

Singapore reported two more SARS deaths and four new cases today.
One deceased was the uncle of the first index case. The other is the mother of a doctor who had died from SARS on April 7.
This brings the total number of SARS deaths to 12 so far. Two other deaths on Saturday are still awaiting post mortem findings, according to a Health Ministry statement.
The four new cases are all linked to the SGH cluster.
These are patients who had been earlier admitted to TTSH as suspect cases and who have now been diagnosed as having SARS as they have developed signs of lung infection.
They comprise of one SGH staff member, one inpatient and two visitors.

Health directives to all hospitals, medical centres to fight SARS
The Health Ministry issued new directives to all hospitals and medical centres from April 8 in a bid to combat SARS.
From April 14, the Health Ministry will be auditing all public and private hospitals to check if they comply with these measures, under the Public and Private Hospitals and Medical Centres (PHMC) Act.
These include making sure all staff wear protective gear and are properly trained to handle infection controls and isolation measures.
All staff at all these institutions, which include hospitals and nursing homes, will have their temperature taken before they start work and several times during their shifts.
For hospital staff, if they are feeling unwell, they will have to go to the hospital's staff clinic and only these clinics can issue medical leave to staff.
This is to better track staff and prevent cross infection of hospitals.

16 Apr
Infected 167
ICU 16
Warded 45
Discharged 91
Dead 13 (+4)

Singapore reports one more SARS death and 5 new cases

Singapore has reported one more SARS death and five new cases.
The deceased is the mother of a SARS patient, bringing the local deaths to 13, said a press release by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday.
The new cases comprise two staff of the National Cancer Centre (NCC), namely a radiographer who had been admitted to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital since 9 April for observation and a porter who was admitted to TTSH on 14 April.
Both patients developed lung changes on chest X-ray on Tuesday and hence were diagnosed to have SARS.
The third SARS case is an inpatient at SGH Ward 58 who has been observed in TTSH since 13 April, and who developed lung changes on Tuesday.
The other two cases comprise the son of a SARS patient and a doctor at the National University Hospital who looked after two patients before their diagnosis of SARS.
It's the first time SARS cases have emerged from the NCC.
It's not clear at this stage how the two NCC staff contracted SARS.
But the Health Ministry has given the assurance that other NCC staff are well.
10 of the 11 patients who were handled by the radiographer have been contacted and they are well.
The NCC is also in the process of contacting the 200 patients who had been in the waiting room of the X-ray department between 7 April and 9 April.
This contact tracing is underway even though the radiographer did not go into the waiting room.
As an added precaution, the centre has closed its radiology department till Sunday.
Urgent radiological X-rays will be done at the SGH Accident and Emergency department, while non-urgent appointments will be deferred.
Separately, at a MOH news conference on Wednesday, it was revealed that there were now four persons who had died but were classified as suspect SARS cases until post-mortem findings show otherwise.
Two of the deaths were linked to the SGH cluster comprising an inpatient and the brother of an index patient.
This was reported by the MOH on 13 April.
The third is a 16-month toddler who died on Tuesday night at the KK Children's and Women's Hospital.
The girl was first admitted on 31 March after she had an asthma attack.
She was discharged four days later, but re-admitted on 9 April, this time with a high fever.
The girl was sent to intensive care and isolated as she showed signs of pneumonia and had severe breathing difficulties.
But the hospital said tests showed she did not have SARS, and she also had no contact with a SARS patient.
The toddler's condition deteriorated and she died on Tuesday night.
The hospital is awaiting for the post-mortem to confirm if she had SARS.
The toddler's two siblings also developed fever and were admitted into Tan Tock Seng Hospital on 13 April.
They were in stable condition and their chest X-rays do not show signs of pneumonia.
KK Hospital says when the girl was first admitted, there were six other children in her ward.
One of them later developed atypical pneumonia symptoms and was sent to Tan Tock Seng.
The child is now a suspect SARS case.
The fourth death which has yet to be confirmed as a SARS fatality is that of a Jurong Shipyard worker.
The worker, a 47-year-old fitter, had gone home to Pontian, Malaysia on 25 March and returned on 30 March.
He developed symptoms on 8 April and then died on Sunday.

17 Apr
Infected 171
ICU 17
Warded 44
Discharged 95
Dead 13 (+2)

Singapore reports 4 new SARS cases, including taxi driver
Singapore's Health Ministry has reported four new cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), including a taxi driver, bringing the total number of cases to 171.
Two of the cases are linked to the Singapore General Hospital cluster. One was an inpatient of Ward 57 while the other was a visitor.
The other case is a patient who was in the same ward as a SARS patient in National University Hospital before that patient was diagnosed with SARS.
The 53-year-old taxi driver developed fever, body aches and diarrhoea on 9 April while at home.
The next day, after working from 6 am to 9 am, he went to see a GP.
He remained at home for the rest of that day and the next.
On 12 April, he consulted a GP again.
As he was still unwell, he was admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital that afternoon.
He was diagnosed with atypical pneumonia but was not classified as a SARS case as he had no history of contact, MOH said.
But as a precaution, home quarantine orders where issued to 10 of his close contacts.
So far they are all well except for his 54-year-old wife who was admitted on 15 April with fever.
Subsequently samples taken from the taxi driver tested positive for coronavirus, which causes SARS.
He has thus been classified as a probable case and his wife has been classified as a suspect case.
They are both in stable condition.
The taxi driver gives a history of ferrying passengers to hospitals but does not ply the airport route.
Investigations to determine the source of his infection are still ongoing.
Overall four SARS patient have been discharged, bringing the total number who have recovered to 95.
Sixty-one SARS patients remain hospitalised, including 17 in intensive care.

18 Apr
Infected 172
ICU 17
Warded 42
Discharged 97
Dead 14 (+2)

SARS: 1 more death; 1 new case brings total to 172

SARS: 1 more death, total infected: 172
One more person has died from SARS on Friday. The deceased was a patient at NUH who was in contact with a previous SARS case there.
In a news conference on Friday, the Health Ministry says this brings the total to 16 including two deaths where post mortem results are pending.
There is one new SARS case on Friday, bringing the total number of cases since the outbreak began to 172.
She is the wife of patient who had visited the radiology department at SGH on 1st April.
Out of the total cases, 59 are in hospital including 17 in intensive care.
97 have been discharged including two on Friday.
There are 80 cases of suspected SARS including five children.
Those remain under home quarantine stand at 444 people as of Friday.
The Health Ministry also gave an update on the COMFORT cabbie diagnosed with SARS.
The 53-year-old taxi driver is well but the search continues for passengers who have travelled in his cab on April 10.
Health Ministry's Deputy Director (Epidemiology and Disease Control), Ooi Peng Lim said: "The status is that the cabbie is in stable condition. We have done the contact tracing for his housedhold , social contacts and travel contacts prior to his admission to the hospital.
"Five family members have been issued home quarantine orders. We have issued 5 home quarantine orders for social contacts. There were 33 but all of them are healthy. They did not have contact with him during his period of the symptoms. For travel contacts, we identified that on the 10th of April, between 6 am and 9 am, he had carried 6 passengers and we are now working with Comfort cab to see if we can identify them."
And starting from Friday, all public hospitals will restrict visitors to one per patient per day.
The Health Ministry has also introduced precautionary measures for Ward 74, a neurology ward at Singapore General Hospital.
It will move all 55 patients there to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
It arose after a patient who was previously in Ward 57 and subsequently transferred to ward 74 , was also transferred to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Three nurses from ward 74 had fever on 9 and 10 April, while on 14 April, a medical officer in the Neurology unit and three patients in ward 74 also had fever.
The three patients have been classified as suspect cases and transferred to TTSH.

Singaporeans visit Pulau Ubin to celebrate Earth Day
A few hundred people flocked to Pulau Ubin to capture the natural beauty and charm of the island as part of Earth Day celebrations.
Some 150 volunteers from Green Volunteers Network will conduct free eco-tours for the public.
On Friday, the group arrived to the beat of kompangs and a silat demonstration..
A 10-minute walk took them to their first stop - visiting 98-year-old village headman Lim Chye Joo, who has been at his post for four decades.
Beckoning the group next, the idyllic setting of a coconut farm where a resident demonstrated the art of coconut plucking.
Another cool respite with an equally splendid view, the Ubin Community Centre.
There, it was a moment to capture a bit of history and culture of the island, and to take part in a scarecrow-making contest.
Mr Chan Soo Sen, Minister of State for Community Development and Sports, said: "There is a lot of people coming to Ubin probably because this is seen to be a healthy place because of the SARS and all that it is, a long weekend, so this is an excellent place to bring the children and the family here."
That is what the organisers, the Singapore Environment Council and South East CDC, want to encourage.
Between 6,000 and 7,000 visitors are expected to visit the island over the next few days.

21 Apr

NKF (National Kidney Foundation) Charity Shows go on despite Sars

Record S$13.4m raised in NKF Charity Shows
MediaCorp has helped raise over S$13m for the National Kidney Foundation, a record in the show's 10-year history, from the NKF Charity Shows held over the last two Sundays.
During last week's show, overseas artistes helped raised over S$6.8m. At the end of Sunday night's four-hour show, more than 40 of MediaCorp's own artists had raised S$6.6m for the NKF, bringing the total so far to S$13.4m.

22 Apr
2 new SARS cases bring total to 186 on Tuesday; 6 more discharged

Two new SARS cases were reported on Tuesday, bringing the total to 186.
A statement from the Health Ministry said one of the new cases is a 41-year-old daughter of a 72-year-old man who was admitted as a suspect SARS case on April 19.

He works at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market.
The other is a 39-year-old patient of SGH Ward 57.
The Ministry also said six more SARS patients have been discharged, bringing the total who have recovered to 110.
However, 60 SARS patients remain hospitalised, of which 19 are in intensive care.
Giving an update on the Wholesale Market, the MOH statement said there are now eight probable SARS cases linked to the market, including the new case on Tuesday.
All are in stable condition except for one who died at Tan Tock Seng Hospital on April 12.
As for suspected SARS cases, 14 that are linked to the market have been admitted.
They comprise eight persons with direct links to the Wholesale Market - 3 workers and 5 visitors - and six of their family members.
Among the family members are two children aged 18 months and 10 years.
So far, 1,204 home quarantine orders have been issued.
At Changi Airport between 4 pm Monday to 4 pm Tuesday, one passenger was referred to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

24 Apr
Most Sars patients take well to Ribavirin

Most Sars patients take well to Ribavirin
As researchers continue to profile the Sars virus, hospitals here have only one drug option to administer to Sars patients.
And that option is ribavirin, the only broad-spectrum, anti-viral drug available.
While most patients respond positively to this treatment — first recommended for usage by Hong Kong — some may suffer from an array of side effects such as nausea, anaemia and damage to foetuses and kidneys.
“The most common side effect complained of is nausea,” said Dr Annelise Wilder Smith, registrar of the Communicable Disease Centre and doctor at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
“Some suffer from anaemia but medication is stopped once this is detected.”
Although the anaemia is temporary, damage such as the malformation of foetuses is not.
Dr Wilder Smith told TODAY that all female patients are tested for pregnancy and will not be given ribavirin if they are pregnant.
The few cases of pregnant Sars patients she has handled so far “all did fairly well”.
“They were given ‘supportive treatment’,” she said. “Which means letting them rest! Of course, they were treated for whatever symptoms they had.”
While there is “no absolute consensus” yet on who should be given ribavirin, it is never given to patients with a history of kidney problems.
Dr Wilder Smith said: “Most of the time, it is the patients’ immune system fighting for itself, not the drug.”

25 Apr
Infected 195
ICU 14
Warded 28
Discharged 75
Dead 18 + 2

SARS: 1 more death and 3 new cases, two linked to Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre worker
The Health Ministry has announced one more SARS death bringing the total number to 18.
A MOH spokesman confirmed the death early on Saturday.
He was believed to be a 63-year-old Indian man from the SGH cluster.
Singapore also reported three new SARS cases on Friday.
One of them is the 35-year-old son of the 72-year-old vegetable seller at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre.
The son had been admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on 18 April as a suspect SARS case and developed lung changes on Thursday.
The second new case is the 18-month-old grand-daughter of the 72-year-old vegetable seller.
The toddler had been admitted to TTSH on 21 April as a suspect SARS case.
The third new case reported on Friday is a 56-year-old woman who is a friend of a probable SARS case.
The woman was admitted to TTSH on 23 April.
As of Friday, eight more suspect cases related to the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre have been discharged - one family contact and seven visitors.
Another six persons who visited the wholesale centre were admitted to TTSH as SARS suspects on Friday.
There are now 10 suspect cases admitted in relation to the wholesale centre - one worker and nine vistors to the market.

28 Apr
Infected 199
ICU 15
Warded 24
Discharged 137
Dead 22

SARS death toll rises to 22; Pasir Panjang market closure extended

The SARS death toll in Singapore rose to 22 on Monday after a 77-year-old man died just four days after his wife succumbed to the virus.
The Health Ministry said the man had accompanied his wife to the SGH Radiology Centre on April 1.
At the centre, he had contact with the "index case" of the SGH Ward 57/58 cluster.
In its update, the Ministry said there were no new probable SARS cases reported.
It said six more patients had been discharged, bringing the total number of patients who have recovered to 137.
Thirty-nine patients remain hospitalised, of whom 15 are in intensive care.
The Ministry said the closure of Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market would be extended for another five days till May 4.
The market was closed on April 20 for a period of 10 days.

29 Apr
Infected 201
ICU 16
Warded 22
Discharged 139
Dead 23

2 new SARS cases reported in Singapore

Two new SARS cases were reported on Tuesday.
One is the 37-year-old brother of a probable SARS case.
The man, who had been on home quarantine since 20 April, became unwell and was admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on 28 April.
The other new case is a 43-year-old taxi driver who died on 19 April.
The Yellow-Top cabbie had developed a fever on 11 April, but this was diagnosed as viral fever at Changi General Hospital on 15 April.
He was then discharged with two days of medical leave.
But on 19 April, he complained of sudden breathlessness and collapsed at home.
He was then sent to Changi General Hospital where he died.
A post mortem was positive for coronavirus.
The Health Ministry says investigations are underway to determine the source of his infection and contact tracing is in progress.
The latest cases bring the total number of SARS cases to 201 in Singapore.
Thirty-eight are still in hospital, with 16 in intensive care.
The number of those under home quarantine has risen to 3,001.
The number of deaths stands at 23.
Two more SARS patients were also discharged on Tuesday, bringing the number who have recovered from SARS to 139.

01 May

Infected 203
ICU 14
Warded 19
Discharged 143
Dead 24

No new SARS cases, 2 more patients discharged

There were no new SARS cases reported in Singapore on Thursday.
The Health Ministry said two more patients were discharged, bringing the total number of patients who have recovered from SARS to 143.
It said 33 patients remained hospitalised, of whom 15 are in intensive care.
There were, however, 23 suspect cases admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Among them, four had travelled overseas, three were inpatients from other hospitals and eight were family and friends of other suspect cases.
Two pasengers, who were picked up by thermal scanning at Changi Airport on arrival in Singapore on April 27, are still classified as suspects and are in stable condition.
The condition of a third passenger, who had travelled to Jakarta and returned to Singapore on April 22, is also reported to be stable.
The Health Ministry said it had contacted most of the 267 passengers, including crew members, on board the three flights - MU545, SQ859 and GA828 - reported on Wednesday.
As a precautionary measure, 160 passengers who have local addresses have been issued Home Quarantine Orders.
Efforts have been made to inform the countries or airlines concerned of the next destinations of the remaining people, who comrpised either foreign crew members or nationals.

02 May
Infected 203
ICU 14
Warded 16
Discharged 147
Dead 24

Singapore reports two new SARS cases, including a 4-year old boy
Two new SARS cases were reported on Friday, one of whom is a 4-year-old boy whose parents have also been infected.
The boy, who became unwell on 24 April, had not been attending pre-school since the March school holidays.
He had been on home quarantine since 20 April when one of his parents was infected.
The condition of the boy and his father was stable, but his mother was in intensive care, the Health Ministry said on Friday.
The second new case reported on Friday is a 34-year-old woman who is believed to have been infected by her mother-in-law who was identified as a SARS case on 23 April.
Three more SARS patients have recovered and were discharged on Friday, bringing the total to 146.
31 are still in hospital with 15 in intensive care.

03 May
Infected 203
ICU 14
Warded 16
Discharged 147
Dead 25

No new SARS cases nor deaths reported in Singapore on Saturday
No new SARS cases nor deaths were reported in Singapore on Saturday.
One more patient was discharged, bringing the total number who have recovered from SARS to 147, said a Ministry of Health press release.
30 patients remained hospitalised, of whom 14 were in intensive care.
No new suspect cases linked to the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre cluster were admitted on Saturday while three from the same cluster were discharged.
Seven persons from the cluster are currently admitted as suspects, comprising five visitors and two workers at the market.
The total number of SARS infections in Singapore remained at 203 while the death toll stayed at 25.

04 May
Infected 203
ICU 14
Warded 16
Discharged 147
Dead 25

Singapore reports no new SARS cases nor deaths for second straight day
For the second straight day, Singapore reported no new SARS cases nor deaths.
A Ministry of Health press release on Sunday said the total number of SARS infections in Singapore remained at 203 while the death toll stayed at 25.
147 patients have recovered, while 30 are still hospitalised, of whom 14 are in intensive care.
No new suspect cases linked to the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre cluster were admitted while one visitor to the market who was earlier a suspect case was discharged on Sunday.

07 May
Infected 203
ICU 9
Warded 17
Discharged 150
Dead 25

No new SARS cases; 1 more patient discharged, 26 remain hospitalised
No new SARS cases or deaths were reported in Singapore on Wednesday, meaning there hasn't been a new case here since April 27.
The Health Ministry said one more patient was discharged, bringing the total number of patients who have recovered from SARS to 150.
It said 26 patients remained hospitalised, of whom nine are in intensive care.
If Singapore can go 10 more days, or two incubation periods, with no new infections, the local transmission of SARS may be under control.
But Health Minister Lim Hng Kiang has warned that Singapore is an open society and there must be a high level of vigilance as infections may come from abroad.
Mr Lim said: "We have to be vigilant and have to have several incubation periods to make sure the infection is flushed out of the system.
"Singapore is a very open society, we cannot close borders and with people coming in and out, there's the potential of imported cases. They could come through and may interact with Singaporeans without us detecting them, so we must continue to be vigilant.
"We have to live with this situation for many, many months. There will be situations where clusters may appear. We have to ringfence cases, contain it, then we hold our breath and see how it goes."
Mr Lim also explained why health questionaires ask if one had visited Tan Tock Seng Hospital recently, even though the hospital is safe and there has not been an infection there for about a month.
Mr Lim said: "In the order of things, if you look at different areas in Singapore where the risk of infection is, the hospitals must rank higher than in the shopping mall - Orchard Road and Changi Airport.
"We must be truthful about it, so in questionnaires we do want people to indicate as I have said - your contact history is important if you have direct contact with someone with SARS.
"That's very important for us in assessing the likelihood of you being a suspect SARS case, other contact history places you have been and where you may have been infected."
In other developments, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had lifted its traveller's notification for Singapore from a travel advisory to a travel alert on May 6.
Currently, the CDC issues two types of notices to travellers - alerts and advisories.
A travel advisory recommends that non-essential travel be deferred.
A travel alert does not advise against travel, but informs travellers of a health concern and provides advice about specific precautions.

10 May
No new SARS cases reported on Saturday; 1 more patient discharged
No new SARS cases were reported in Singapore on Saturday.
Therefore the total number of SARS cases as of Saturday remains at 205.
There have been no cases reported with dates of infection later than 27 April.
A Health Ministry statement also said one more patient has been discharged, bringing the total number of patients who have recovered from SARS to 155.
Of the 22 who remain in hospital, 9 are in intensive care.
The statement also said there were 2 patients on Saturday who were diagnosed as suspect cases.
One of them came from a SARS-affected area.
The other had contact with his brother who was admitted to an Australian hospital as a suspected SARS case.
There are no new admissions of suspect SARS patients who may be related to the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre cluster.
However, 1 worker from PPWC was admitted for observation of fever.
On observation cases, MOH said there were 2 such patients admitted on Saturday.
They comprise 1 patient who had travelled to Manila recently and 1 patient whose contact history has not been established yet.
MOH also reiterated the fact that it investigates every reported foreign case of suspected or probable SARS, who has been reported to have had a travel history to Singapore.
Active contact tracing is carried out to identify all possible contacts of these reported cases to prevent further spread of infection.
MOH, it said, works closely with the relevant health authorities in other countries and the World Health Organization to determine crucial information, such as their dates of stay in Singapore and the date of their onset of SARS.
In this connection, MOH also said that Malaysia had confirmed two days ago, that its 7th probable SARS case does not have SARS.
The 28-year-old woman from Pahang had fallen ill after visiting her boyfriend in Singapore between 11 and 19 April.
She was hospitalised in Kuala Lumpur on 1 May and cleared of SARS a week later.
MOH said, its contact tracing of her boyfriend in Singapore also showed he is well.

09 May One more SARS patient discharged, only 23 still hospitalised
One more SARS patient has been discharged in Singapore, leaving only 23 still in hospital, of whom nine are in intensive care.
This means that so far, 154 SARS patients have recovered.
But a 72-year-old man has been diagnosed with SARS.
He had been in the same ward as the 64-year old vegetable seller who died of SARS on April 12.
The 72-year-old developed a fever on 23 April and the Health Ministry has recorded that as the date of infection.
This means that there have been no new Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome cases reported since 27 April.
Meanwhile, three people who travelled to SARS-hit areas are suspect cases, while eight others have been admitted for observation.

11 May

Tan Tock Seng nurse dies of SARS, no new cases for 14th day

For the 14th straight day, there were no new SARS cases reported in Singapore, but a 44-year-old Tan Tock Seng Hospital nurse has died, bringing the death toll to 28.
It is a sad Mother's Day for the family of nurse Hamidah Ismail, who died from SARS on Sunday almost two months after being admitted and isolated at the hospital.
She was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit on March 17, where she had remained.
Just on Tuesday, she had communicated with her husband and three children via video link.
The hospital says she wrote a message of encouragement and endearment to her three children.
She is the second Tan Tock Seng health care worker to die from SARS after Dr Ong Hok Su.
Meanwhile, none of the 21 other SARS patients was discharged, and there were also no new suspect cases.
Four people, however, were admitted for observation.
One had travelled recently to SARS-affected areas recently.
The contact history of the other two has not yet been established.
And while there have been no new admissions of suspect SARS patients related to the Pair Panjang Wholesale Centre, one worker has also been admitted for observation.

12 May

No new SARS cases Monday, one more patient discharged

So far, there have been no cases reported with dates of onset later than 27 April.
The Health Ministry also said a 14-year-old student from Bowen Secondary School was admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on 10 May for atypical pneumonia.
She has no contact history with SARS patients nor travel history to any SARS affected areas.
The Health Ministry says the girl is responding to antibiotics, which indicates the cause of her atypical pneumonia is likely to be a bacterial infection, and not SARS.
As a precaution, 120 of her contacts at school were screened and six students were admitted to hospital for observation for low grade fever or cough.
So far, their chest x-rays are normal.
The other contacts will continued to be monitored closely, it said.

14 May
World Bank lifts all travel restrictions on staff to Singapore
The World Bank Group has lifted all travel restrictions to Singapore.
This means World Bank staff can resume normal business in Singapore where its regional communications and outreach operations are based.
This decision follows announcements by the World Health Organisation, and also the decision by the American Center for Disease Control last week to take Singapore off the list of SARS affected countries to avoid.
Coming a day after a possible new SARS cluster was announced, the good news from the World Bank brought cheer to those Channel NewsAsia spoke to.
"It's a very good news to people throughout the world, particularly people visiting or transiting."
"It shows that a respectable worldwide organisation like that has confidence in our ability to handle the SARS problem."
"This is a very strong message to foreign investors that Singapore is a good place to invest their money, that they're investing in a place that the government is in control, and that they're very responsive. And I think the SARS experience is a very good one to demonstrate that."
Mr Jemal-ud-din Kassum, Regional Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific, said the World Bank gained confidence from the swift action taken by Singapore in containing SARS.
He noted that while the international health community had recommended a number of steps to all countries facing SARS, Singapore did these and more.
This includes the quick release of information and action to restore public trust.
And in handling such a potentially damaging situation so capably, he said Singapore had again demonstrated its management capacity.
Mr Peter Stephens, Manager of the Singapore Office, said he expected the World Bank Group's flow of business meetings, events and visits to return to normal almost immediately, certainly within a couple of weeks.
He hopes other businesses will see the same quick return to normalcy.
Mr Stephens added that as for those of them who live here, who travel a great deal and who have families here, they too have found the response of the Singapore government and the exceptional courage of the medical community deeply comforting.

23 May
No new SARS cases, 1 more discharged bringing total recovered 163
There were no new SARS cases on Friday and one more person has been discharged.
This brings the number who have recovered from SARS in Singapore to 163.
There are now only 11 people still hospitalised, which includes 5 in intensive care.
There was however 1 suspect case - a 25-year-old man who had travelled to Taipei.
Contact tracing has begun and his close contacts will be placed on home quarantine.
There were also 2 observation cases - a 39-year-old seaman on a ship which had arrived from Shantou, China, who was stopped at immigration with a fever and a 24-year-old SGH nurse whose fever was detected through the hospital's temperature surveillance system.
Both have been admitted to TTSH as a precaution.
Turning to Malaysian reports, the Health Ministry also said the 26-year-old Malaysian man who worked in Singapore, and who has been hospitalised in Johor with SARS, is not likely to have contracted the virus in Singapore.
MOH said he had no fever when he left Singapore by bus on 18 May, but on his return the same day he was picked up by the thermal scanner.
Under the bilateral SARS agreement, he was escorted back in an ambulance to the JB immigration office.

28 May
No new SARS cases; MOH responds to Malaysian media reports
There were no new SARS cases, suspect cases, discharges or deaths on Wednesday.
Nine patients are still hospitalised, including five in intensive care.
The Health Ministry has also responded to various newspaper reports in Malaysia's New Straits Times and The Star.

It said the 35-year-old lorry driver from Negri Sembilan, admitted as a suspect case after making a delivery in Singapore, is well and has been discharged.
He did not have any contact with SARS patients.
The newspapers had also reported that a 22-year-old woman, working at the Ang Mo Kio LRT station, had fallen ill after returning to Malaysia on May 1.
She was reported to have a Singaporean friend who died from SARS on April 24.
The Ministry said records showed no such person had visited Singapore recently and there is also no LRT station in Ang Mo Kio.
As for the 85-year-old Singaporean said to have visited Malaysia on April 27, and admitted to a Kuala Lumpur hospital on May 1, the Ministry said this was untrue, as records show he left on April 15 instead.
This means the time gap between this date and May 1 exceeds the 10-day incubation period.
He has since been diagnosed with chronic bronchitis and is recovering.

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