Public Health
NCID, NUS and NTU Studies Highlight The Role Of Socio-Behavioural Factors In Managing COVID-19
The National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), the National University of Singapore (NUS) Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore’s (NTU Singapore) Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information have embarked on a partnership to jointly study how various social and behavioural factors in our population influences and is …
Vietnam Has Reported No Coronavirus Deaths – How?
Vietnam – a developing country that has a large land border with China and a population of 97 million people – has not reported a single death from coronavirus. As of April 21, the country had reported 268 cases of COVID-19, the disease associated with the new coronavirus, with more than 140 people making a …
The Flu Pandemic Of 1918: Modern Parallels From A Century-Old Pandemic
The influenza pandemic of 1918 (also known as the Spanish flu, even though it didn’t originate in Spain) is among the most severe pandemics in recent history, only second to the Black Plague of the 1300s. While it may have been a bit more than a century now since this pandemic struck, there are noticeable …
How Cities Around The World Are Handling COVID-19 – And Why We Need To Measure Their Preparedness
When it comes to infectious disease outbreaks, cities are dual-edged. To be sure, cities are a big part of the problem. They intensify the spread and transmission of infectious disease through increased human contact. Today, roughly 4 billion people live in cities, more than half of the world’s population. According to some analysts, around 600 cities generate …
How Cities Can Prepare For The Next Pandemic
According to Johns Hopkins CSSE, the COVID-19 outbreak has recorded more than 140,000 confirmed cases, thousands of which are already fatalities. The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic, a proof of the gravity of the current disease outbreak that is plaguing us. No one could possibly think that this is the …
How Cities Shape Pandemics
Cities and pandemics are closely linked throughout history. A lot of lives have been claimed by disease outbreaks. Each time, these outbreaks act like some sort of a lesson that drives change in cities. For the most part, cities have gotten better in eliminating the risks of disease outbreaks, thanks to developments in health and …
Plans To Fight Coronavirus Must Pay Attention To The Environment
The rapid onset and spread of coronavirus is proving to be a huge challenge for public health officials across the world. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Some cause illness in people and others only infect animals. Very rarely have animal coronaviruses infected and spread between people. This is what’s suspected to have happened …
Outbreaks Like Coronavirus Start In And Spread From The Edges Of Cities
Emerging infectious disease has much to do with how and where we live. The ongoing coronavirus is an example of the close relationships between urban development and new or re-emerging infectious diseases. Like the SARS pandemic of 2003, the connections between accelerated urbanization, more far-reaching and faster means of transportation, and less distance between urban …
We’re In Danger Of Drowning In A Coronavirus ‘Infodemic’. Here’s How We Can Cut Through The Noise
The novel coronavirus that has so far killed more than 1,100 people now has a name – COVID-19. The World Health Organisation (WHO) didn’t want the name to refer to a place, animal or certain group of people and needed something pronounceable and related to the disease. “Having a name matters to prevent the use …
7 Dangerous Myths About Coronavirus Busted By The World Health Organization
The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is definitely a valid source of concern. However, there are a lot of false truths that are going around that should not be believed in. Such falsehoods may exacerbate the panic that is already very much present. These can also teach practices that may put people at a higher risk …