Forum: Singapore's outsized influence in healthcare, even as a colony
As a heritage practitioner, I am excited to hear about Singapore Land Authority's (SLA) plans to revitalise 2 Moulmein Road into a lifestyle destination (Former Communicable Disease Centre in Moulmein Road put up for use as lifestyle hub, May 30, 2025).
The former Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) site is known colloquially as 'or sai' (black lion in the Hokkien dialect), named after the emblem of Middleton Hospital, Singapore's first infectious disease hospital established in 1913. It evolved into the CDC in 1992, following a merger between Middleton and Tan Tock Seng hospitals in 1985.
The National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) took over the CDC's functions in 2018, ceasing the latter's continuous operations after 111 years.
This long history meant many architecturally significant structures, including the remaining pavilion 'Nightingale' wards designed by municipal engineer and later prominent Swan and Maclaren partner D.M. Craik, were maintained for over a century. It also draws a link to 'Lady with the Lamp' Florence Nightingale, whose radical ideas on caring for wounded soldiers in the Crimean War (1854) and Indian Rebellion (1857) made a huge impact on British and colonial hospital design.
Pavilions are rectangular, open-plan wards that made it easy for nurses to monitor patients. They also have large windows to let in fresh air and light. This challenged pre-19th century belief that bad air, or 'miasma', spread disease and was prevented from entering wards, resulting in gloomy spaces.
Furthermore, the site played an outsized role in tracking epidemics during colonial days. We are familiar with Singapore's post-independence fight against infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, Sars and most recently, Covid-19. However, not many knew the League of Nations Health Organisation (LNHO) established its Eastern Bureau here in 1925.
Due to its global significance as a transshipment hub, the first international system to report and distribute information on infectious diseases was broadcast from Singapore via wireless radio and telegraph. These reports contained news on cholera, smallpox, typhoid and other diseases, as well as information on everything from quarantine arrangements to the health of haj pilgrims .
Without a doubt, colonial healthcare and quarantine facilities at Middleton Hospital and St John's Island played an important role in monitoring travellers carrying infectious diseases through Singapore. This function enabled port authorities worldwide to reduce the spread of outbreaks.
From an architectural and historical perspective, it is important for the revitalised site to capture and showcase these significant stories and more.
Ian Tan
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Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Forum: Singapore's outsized influence in healthcare, even as a colony
As a heritage practitioner, I am excited to hear about Singapore Land Authority's (SLA) plans to revitalise 2 Moulmein Road into a lifestyle destination (Former Communicable Disease Centre in Moulmein Road put up for use as lifestyle hub, May 30, 2025). The former Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) site is known colloquially as 'or sai' (black lion in the Hokkien dialect), named after the emblem of Middleton Hospital, Singapore's first infectious disease hospital established in 1913. It evolved into the CDC in 1992, following a merger between Middleton and Tan Tock Seng hospitals in 1985. The National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) took over the CDC's functions in 2018, ceasing the latter's continuous operations after 111 years. This long history meant many architecturally significant structures, including the remaining pavilion 'Nightingale' wards designed by municipal engineer and later prominent Swan and Maclaren partner D.M. Craik, were maintained for over a century. It also draws a link to 'Lady with the Lamp' Florence Nightingale, whose radical ideas on caring for wounded soldiers in the Crimean War (1854) and Indian Rebellion (1857) made a huge impact on British and colonial hospital design. Pavilions are rectangular, open-plan wards that made it easy for nurses to monitor patients. They also have large windows to let in fresh air and light. This challenged pre-19th century belief that bad air, or 'miasma', spread disease and was prevented from entering wards, resulting in gloomy spaces. Furthermore, the site played an outsized role in tracking epidemics during colonial days. We are familiar with Singapore's post-independence fight against infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, Sars and most recently, Covid-19. However, not many knew the League of Nations Health Organisation (LNHO) established its Eastern Bureau here in 1925. Due to its global significance as a transshipment hub, the first international system to report and distribute information on infectious diseases was broadcast from Singapore via wireless radio and telegraph. These reports contained news on cholera, smallpox, typhoid and other diseases, as well as information on everything from quarantine arrangements to the health of haj pilgrims . Without a doubt, colonial healthcare and quarantine facilities at Middleton Hospital and St John's Island played an important role in monitoring travellers carrying infectious diseases through Singapore. This function enabled port authorities worldwide to reduce the spread of outbreaks. From an architectural and historical perspective, it is important for the revitalised site to capture and showcase these significant stories and more. Ian Tan More on this Topic Forum: What readers are saying Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Kennedy's firing of independent CDC advisers undermines vaccine confidence, experts say
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends a Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee hearing on the Department of Health and Human Services budget, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 14, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis CHICAGO - U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s dismissal of an independent panel of experts citing the goal of restoring trust in vaccines could undermine confidence in those available now, putting Americans at risk of preventable infectious diseases, public health experts and others said on Monday. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, said in a commentary published in the Wall Street Journal that he was firing all 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science.' The committee reviews vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and makes recommendations to the CDC on their use. "I fear that there will be human lives lost here because of this," said Dr. Sean O'Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Infectious Diseases. "It is a special kind of irony that he is saying he is doing this to restore trust, given that he is, as an individual, more responsible for sowing distrust in vaccines than almost anyone I can name," O'Leary said. O'Leary said pediatricians have already been fielding calls from parents who are confused about conflicting announcements earlier this month narrowing the use of COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women. "This is only going to add to that," he said. A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman said the agency is prioritizing public health, evidence-based medicine, and restoring public confidence in vaccine science. The firing of the entire vaccine advisory committee comes just weeks before a scheduled public meeting in which advisers were expected to weigh in and vote on a number of decisions, including the 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine boosters. The health agency said the committee will meet as scheduled on June 25-27, but it is unclear who would serve on that panel or how they have been vetted for conflicts of interest. The agency said it would replace them with new members currently under consideration. Fired ACIP member Noel Brewer, a professor of public health at the University of North Carolina, said it took about 18 months from the time he applied until he was serving as an ACIP member. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer decried the changes. "Wiping out an entire panel of vaccine experts doesn't build trust — it shatters it, and worse, it sends a chilling message: that ideology matters more than evidence, and politics more than public health," he said in a statement. Former CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden called out Kennedy's "false claims" in the Wall Street Journal piece, saying the panel was rife with conflicts of interest. Most of the panel was appointed last year, the CDC website shows. "Make no mistake: Politicizing the ACIP as Secretary Kennedy is doing will undermine public trust under the guise of improving it." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Kennedy dismisses entire US CDC vaccine panel, replacing all 17 members
WASHINGTON: Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has fired all members sitting on a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel of vaccine experts and is reconstituting the committee, his department said on Monday (Jun 9). Kennedy removed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement, and is in the process of considering new members to replace them. "Today we are prioritising the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda," Kennedy said. "The public must know that unbiased science - evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from conflicts of interest - guides the recommendations of our health agencies." Kennedy claimed that ACIP is rife with conflicts and has never turned down a vaccine, but the decision to approve vaccines rests with the US Food and Drug Administration. ACIP provides guidance to the CDC on which groups of people would most benefit from an already-approved vaccine, and when they should get it. "That's a tragedy," former FDA Chief Scientist Jesse Goodman said of the firings. "This is a highly professional group of scientists and physicians and others ... It's the kind of political meddling that will reduce confidence rather than increase confidence." Shares of vaccine makers Moderna and US-listed shares of BioNTech fell more than 1 per cent, while Pfizer was down marginally in extended trading on Monday. Kennedy, who for many years has questioned the safety and efficacy of vaccines, making claims contrary to scientific evidence, said most ACIP members receive funding from drugmakers. But ACIP members are required to declare any potential or perceived conflicts of interest that arise in the course of ACIP tenure and any relevant business interests, positions of authority or other connections with organisations relevant to the work of the ACIP. ACIP members are required to disclose everything as part of the application process, said one fired member who spoke on condition of anonymity, including investments and all sources of income. Kennedy and HHS provided no specific evidence of industry conflicts of interest among departing ACIP members. The CDC's web page for conflicts of interest, last updated in March, showed that one current member had recused herself from votes on a handful of vaccines because she had worked on clinical trials for their manufacturers. All 17 sitting ACIP members were appointed under former President Joe Biden's administration, including 13 in 2024, HHS said. Not removing them would have prevented President Donald Trump's administration from choosing a majority of the committee until 2028. "This is not a political committee, it's never been partisan," said Dorit Reiss, a vaccine law expert at UC Law San Francisco. "It's an expert committee. Presidents have never been involved in ACIP membership." The decision drew criticism from Democrats in Congress, and one key Republican expressed concern. "Of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion," said Republican US Senator Bill Cassidy in a post on X. "I've just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I'll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case." Cassidy, a doctor from Louisiana who had expressed wariness about Kennedy's anti-vaccine views before clearing the path for him to become the nation's top health official, said at the time he had received assurances Kennedy would protect existing vaccination programs. ACIP will convene its next meeting Jun 25-27 at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, the department said. Once the FDA approves vaccines for sale to the public, ACIP's role is to review data in a public meeting and vote on vaccine recommendations, which are then sent to the CDC director to sign off. The Affordable Care Act generally requires insurers to cover vaccines that are listed on the CDC vaccine schedules for adults and children. The recommendations also determine which vaccines the CDC's Vaccines for Children program will provide free of charge to those without insurance.
