Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire: Cambodian soldiers recuperate from injuries after 5 days of clashes
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
a day ago
- CNA
Kpod crackdown: 1 in 3 vapes found to contain etomidate, a fast-acting anaesthetic
There has been a rise in illegal and potentially lethal e-vaporisers and Kpods. One in three Kpods in Singapore has been found to contain etomidate, a powerful anaesthetic regulated under the Poisons Act. Counsellors also fear the illicit devices could also come with other addictive compounds to keep users hooked. CNA's Aslam Shah joins us in the studio.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
US axes mRNA vaccine contracts, casting safety doubts
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Mr Kennedy, who spent two decades sowing misinformation around immunisation, has overseen a major overhaul of US health policy. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's administration on Aug 5 announced it would terminate 22 federal contracts for mRNA-based vaccines, questioning the safety of a technology credited with helping end the Covid pandemic and saving millions of lives. The announcement, made by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr , marks his latest effort to weave vaccine scepticism into the core of US government policy. 'We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,' Mr Kennedy said in a statement. The health department's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (Barda) is 'terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like Covid and flu,' he added. 'We're shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.' The changes affect Moderna's mRNA bird flu vaccine – a move the company itself disclosed in May – as well as numerous other programs, including 'rejection or cancellation of multiple pre-award solicitations' from pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Sanofi. In total, the affected projects are worth 'nearly US$500 million (S$643.5 million)', the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said. Certain late-stage projects were excluded from the move 'to preserve prior taxpayer investment.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 25-minute delay on East-West MRT Line between Boon Lay and Buona Vista due to track point fault Singapore Finding hidden vapes: Inside ICA's mission to uncover contraband at land checkpoints Singapore Sorting recyclables by material could boost low domestic recycling rate: Observers Singapore SM Lee receives Australia's highest civilian honour for advancing bilateral ties Asia Trump's sharp India criticism on tariffs, Russia oil corner Modi as rift deepens Singapore More train rides taken in first half-year, but overall public transport use stays below 2019 levels Singapore BlueSG needs time to develop software, refresh fleet, say ex-insiders after winding-down news Asia Cambodia-Thailand border clash a setback for Asean: Vivian Balakrishnan 'Let me be absolutely clear: HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them,' Secretary Kennedy said. 'That's why we're moving beyond the limitations of mRNA and investing in better solutions.' Since taking office, Mr Kennedy, who spent two decades sowing misinformation around immunisation , has overseen a major overhaul of US health policy – firing, for example, a panel of vaccine experts that advise the government and replacing them with his own appointees. In its first meeting, the new panel promptly voted to ban a longstanding vaccine preservative targeted by the anti-vaccine movement, despite its strong safety record. He has also ordered a sweeping new study on the long-debunked link between vaccines and autism. Unlike traditional vaccines, which often use weakened or inactivated forms of the target virus or bacteria, mRNA shots deliver genetic instructions into the host's cells, prompting them to produce a harmless decoy of the pathogen and train the immune system to fight the real thing. Though in development for decades, mRNA vaccines were propelled from lab benches to widespread use through President Trump's Operation Warp Speed – a public-private partnership led by Barda that poured billions into companies to accelerate development. The technology's pioneers, Ms Katalin Kariko and Mr Drew Weissman, were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work contributing 'to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times.' AFP
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
China's mosquito crackdown tests a city's post-Covid patience
Carried by the Aedes mosquito, the chikungunya virus was first detected in southern Tanzania in the 1950s. In the southern Chinese city of Foshan, officials are engaged in an all-out battle against chikungunya, a painful, mosquito-borne viral disease that could spread across the country. Soldiers wearing masks are fogging parks and streets with insecticide. Drones have been deployed to identify mosquito breeding sites. Researchers have introduced giant 'elephant mosquitoes,' whose larvae prey on the virus-carrying mosquitoes, and thousands of mosquito-eating fish have been released into city ponds. A virus transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes, chikungunya is rarely fatal, but it does cause fever and severe joint pain. It has infected about 8,000 people in China in four weeks, mostly in Foshan, and is the country's largest outbreak of its kind since the virus first emerged in the country in 2008. Experts say rising global temperatures have led to warmer and wetter weather there, allowing mosquitoes to thrive. To fight the outbreak, the authorities are also drawing on a familiar playbook honed during the Covid-19 pandemic – mobilising the city of 10 million in a 'patriotic public health campaign.' For some, that is evoking unhappy memories. At building entrances in the city, workers spray residents with mosquito repellent before allowing them in. Community workers in red vests go door to door, inspecting homes and ordering residents to dump any stagnant water. Those who don't cooperate could be fined or, in serious cases, face criminal charges for 'obstructing the prevention of infectious diseases,' according to an illustrated government explainer. At least five households have had their electricity cut for not cooperating, according to a notice issued by a neighbourhood committee in the district of Guicheng. When Covid-19 spread in China, the country imposed some of the world's strictest measures – the much-hated zero Covid policy that involved mass testing, citywide lockdowns, mandatory quarantines and the constant tracking of people's movements. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore More train rides taken in first half-year, but overall public transport use stays below 2019 levels Singapore BlueSG needs time to develop software, refresh fleet, say ex-insiders after winding-down news Asia Cambodia-Thailand border clash a setback for Asean: Vivian Balakrishnan Singapore 'She had a whole life ahead of her': Boyfriend mourns Yishun fatal crash victim Singapore Doctor hounded ex-girlfriend, threatened to share her intimate photos, abducted her off street Asia Trump's transactional foreign policy fuels 'US scepticism' in Taiwan Business Women on corporate boards give firms a competitive advantage, says Australian Governor-General Singapore CEO of sports car distributor accused of offences including multiple counts of false trading On RedNote, a popular social media platform, residents say they are being ordered by community workers to empty all containers of water, including water bowls for their dogs. Some complained that the policing was excessive. Two residents who were reached by message on RedNote and did not want to be identified out of fear of retaliation told The New York Times that workers entered their homes without their consent to search for stagnant water. Two others said their plants had been taken away or destroyed in front of them. Faxes to the Foshan city government's line could not go through Aug 5, and emails were not returned. In Foshan and other cities in Guangdong province, just north of Hong Kong, infected residents are being sent to 'quarantine wards' where they stay behind mosquito nets and screens. Some who had been infected said they were given no choice but to go to the hospital at their own expense. (During an outbreak, mosquitoes can quickly spread the virus, picking it up from a sick person and infecting healthy others.) Carried by the Aedes mosquito, which also transmits dengue and Zika, the chikungunya virus was first detected in southern Tanzania in the 1950s. (Its name comes from the Kimakonde language and means 'that which bends up,' a reference to the contorted posture of those in pain.) After an imported case of chikungunya was detected in Foshan on July 8, infections quickly spread. Now, citizens have been urged to spend at least three minutes every morning cleaning out all sources of standing water. Employees at government agencies should not go home until they have thoroughly checked plant holders, tea trays, unfinished drinks and roof awnings for water. To breed, mosquitoes 'don't actually need a lot of water or even a lake. They can spread and reproduce in even the smallest pool of water, like a Coke bottle cap,' said Dr Ren Chao, a professor at the University of Hong Kong researching the impact of climate change on the spread of mosquito-borne diseases in urban areas. The most extreme steps, such as mandatory quarantine for those infected, have not been implemented, but experts say China's pandemic measures are designed to be ratcheted up quickly if deemed necessary. 'Essentially you raise the spectre of the zero Covid strategy, with its zero-tolerance approach, the mass mobilisation, the surveillance and testing,' said Professor Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. There are similarities, Prof Huang said, with even earlier mobilisations. In the late 1950s, the infamous 'four pests' campaign to eradicate rats, flies, mosquitoes and sparrows led to the mass extermination of sparrows in China and a surge in locusts that contributed to famine. 'It's fundamentally no different from the Maoist-style public health campaigns,' Prof Huang said. 'It involves the mass mobilisation of the people. It's targeting a particular threat to public health and potentially could lead to unintentional consequences.' The virus poses real risks. Experts say it can cause serious illness in older patients, newborns and people with preexisting health conditions. Most people recover within a week, but joint pain can last for months. The outbreak has raised concerns abroad. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on Aug 1 issued a 'Level 2' travel advisory for Guangdong, urging travellers to avoid mosquito bites and to get vaccinated before arrival. (There are two approved vaccines for the virus in the United States, but they are not available in China.) Responding to reports about the US travel warning, Guo Jiakun, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said last week that the infections in China were 'under control.' Cases spreading from Indian Ocean islands to Europe and other regions prompted the World Health Organization in July to call on countries to act to prevent a large-scale outbreak. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, there have been about 240,000 cases of chikungunya and 90 deaths related to the virus globally this year; South American countries are hardest hit. Outside Foshan, about 200 infections have since been detected in 12 other cities in Guangdong. An unspecified number of cases also have been reported in neighbouring Hunan province. A handful have been reported as well in Macao and Hong Kong, which are about 170km south of Foshan. Mr Wang Weizhong, the governor of Guangdong, on Aug 2 ordered all officials to help mobilise the masses to clean out rooftops and courtyards and to light mosquito coils, install window screens and hang nets over their beds. 'We must make every effort to win the battle against the epidemic,' he said. Pharmacies in Foshan have started tracking who buys medications for fever, rash or joint pain, prompting concern online that the data would be used to identify potential infections. Skyscrapers in Foshan light up at night with messages reminding residents to burn mosquito coils and to empty out standing water. One community worker, surnamed Chen, said in an interview that she spends about 10 hours a day inspecting public places and homes, walking up and down flights of stairs. For some residents, there is little point in resisting the campaign. Ms Cy Chen, 22, a recent graduate living in Foshan, was told to stay in the hospital isolation ward after testing positive instead of returning home. 'I was already infected, so there was no use in getting upset. I might as well cooperate,' she said. NYTIMES
