Whenever Mrs Yvonne Davies went out with her son, she would carry EpiPens – a medical device to inject epinephrine to treat acute allergic reactions – in her bag.

Her son, Euan, 16, is allergic to peanuts and all tree nuts. He is also mildly allergic to cats and horses.

His allergy is now under control, thanks to the Food Oral Immunotherapy (FOI) programme at the National University Hospital.

Mrs Davies, 53, and her husband discovered Euan’s allergy when he ate his first peanut butter sandwich.

After just a mouthful, Euan, then 16 months old, started rubbing his face. He looked slightly flushed and was agitated. His lips also swelled to double their size.

In 2001, Euan was diagnosed after a skin prick test.

The Davies’ home became a “nut-free zone” – every food item’s label was scrutinised.

Also read: To eat or not to eat: 6 types of food allergies

When eating outside, Mrs Davies was careful to avoid accidentally exposing Euan to peanuts.

For instance, the family stuck mostly to high-end Western or Japanese restaurants as peanuts rarely feature on their menus, and they are more accommodating with dietary needs, Mrs Davies said.

Often, the kitchen had to specially prepare Euan’s food using clean kitchen utensils for fear of cross-contamination.

Mrs Davies said she initially resisted the idea of using peanuts to treat Euan’s allergy.

“My worst fear has always been for Euan to accidentally ingest a peanut. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the concept of purposely feeding him peanuts every day,” she said.

Euan, too, was daunted by having to eat something he had been conditioned to “avoid like the plague” for years.

But Mrs Davies was encouraged by the positive results of her friends’ daughters in the FOI programme, and started Euan on it.

He graduated from the programme last year.

Now, he has to eat 28 peanuts once a month to maintain his threshold of tolerance for peanuts.

Eating a Snickers bar or peanut M&M’s is now a stress-free affair.

“I certainly am not as cautious as I used to be. I don’t really care to look at labels either, as I know that my tolerance for peanuts is much higher than anything that could be in processed foods,” said Euan.

Treating allergies by starting small

New NUH programme helps patients develop tolerance for food allergens

It is now possible for children with a peanut allergy to eat a Snickers bar, thanks to the Food Oral Immunotherapy (FOI) programme.

The first of its kind here, the programme helps patients develop a threshold of tolerance for a food allergen by exposing them to the allergen.

It was started by the National University Hospital’s (NUH) Division of Paediatric Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology in August 2015.

So far, 20 children have enrolled in the programme, with at least five having completed treatment for peanut allergy.

Of the rest, 14 are undergoing treatment for peanut allergy, and one for cow’s milk allergy.

In the first half of this year, the programme will be expanded to tree nuts, like cashews and pistachios, and eggs.

Dr Soh Jian Yi, a consultant at the Division of Paediatric Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, told reporters that the treatment begins with introducing a tiny amount of food allergen to the patient, then increasing the dosage over time.

This is to teach the immune system to tolerate greater and greater amounts of allergen, said Dr Soh, who heads the FOI programme.

Children who go through this treatment will no longer have to be bound by food restrictions.

Dr Soh said: “There is also the psychological burden of constantly being on the alert, checking labels and foods taken outside of the home.

“In the case of a persistent food allergy, this means years of carrying this burden.”

But rather than a cure, the programme is merely a way to develop a threshold of tolerance towards peanuts, he added.

This means that those with a peanut allergy will have to regularly consume peanuts to maintain the tolerance at a certain level. Though food oral immunotherapy does not involve any drugs, Dr Soh cautioned against trying it at home.

Those who wish to find out more can e-mail allergy_kids@nuhs.edu.sg

This article was first published on Feb 2, 2017.
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Singapore must remain committed to protecting its minorities as the world sees rising anti-Islamic and anti-immigrant sentiment, and as the region sees growing polarisation along religious lines, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said yesterday.

“In the face of all this, our Government must convey a clear message: We are all Singaporeans. We guarantee the safety, security and freedom of religion to all, including the Muslim community,” he said.

“And as a community, we must covenant to ourselves to never allow xenophobia and majoritarianism to override the protection and guarantee of equality to minorities.”

He was speaking at a symposium on religion, conflict and peace-building organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies Programme.

US President Donald Trump has moved to ban refugees and temporarily keep the citizens of seven Muslim-dominated countries out of the US.

The situation in the US could lead Muslims around the world to turn against it, believing it has become more Islamophobic, he noted.

With its 15 per cent Muslim and 85 per cent non-Muslim population, Singapore can easily face a similar situation.

The Government must steer clear of engaging in racial politics. But it can do this only with support from the community.

While the majority has to back these efforts, the minorities must also play their part and not be increasingly exclusive.

Mr Shanmugam said: “Both the majority and the minority work together to increase common space, and work with the Government that is determined to hold the common space together.

“That is the only way we can resist the tide of populism that is sweeping the rest of the world. We keep to our way of life.”

The racial mathematics in Singapore are stark: 74 per cent are Chinese, which means majoritarianism could easily take hold, he noted.

But it has ensured equal opportunities regardless of race or religion, guaranteed religious freedom and clamped down severely on hate speech.

Then there are the ethnic-based self-help groups and the laws on speech touching on race and religion.

“These and other policies have been criticised. Well-meaning, educated people ask: ‘Why do we need all these? Remove them. We are all Singaporeans’,” he said.

But without active state intervention, the consequences would have been different.

“After a while, you will get segregated communities, segregated schools, the lessening of common space and a reduction of opportunities for minorities.”

He said: “We would have gotten a round of applause. Governments engage in them to give the appearance of activity, decisiveness, openness and so on.

“But the realities of government are different from theatrics.

“Good governance in our case requires us to eschew theatrics, and do what is good for society as a whole…

“We should not assume that Singapore would be immune from this wave of populism that is sweeping the West, which has let loose xenophobic tendencies, racism and tribalism.”

There is also rising religious extremism on all sides – even close to home.

Mr Shanmugam cited recent demonstrations in Indonesia along religious lines, and the Mufti of Pahang in neighbouring Malaysia, who branded those opposing Islamic laws as infidels.

He said: “If these trends continue in the region, and if racial and religious rhetoric increases, that can impact Singapore quite severely.”

Racial and religious leaders here must move beyond only promoting their respective faiths, he added.

This article was first published on Jan 02, 2016.
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The authorities are planning to cull chickens that are running wild over Singapore.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said it takes action whenever it receives complaints about noise.

The National Parks Board is also mulling over a similar move, but for a different reason: concerns that the chickens may interbreed with their endangered ascendants, the native red junglefowl.

INTERBREEDING

“Growth in free-ranging chicken populations increases the potential of interbreeding with red junglefowl and will adversely affect the conservation of our native species,” Dr Lena Chan, group director of NParks’ National Biodiversity Centre, told The Straits Times.

Dr Wee Yeow Chin, founding president of the Nature Society (Singapore), said that with rapid interbreeding, the native species will be reduced and be replaced by hybrids.

NParks will be partnering the local conservation community to strengthen the protection of the red junglefowl.

Dr Chan said: “This includes monitoring the overall red junglefowl distribution and population size, studying the extent of interbreeding and managing the population of free-ranging chickens.”

Though they may look similar, the red junglefowl has a number of distinct traits that set it apart from chickens.

The purebred red junglefowl have grey legs, whereas chickens mostly have yellow legs. While chickens sport red combs, female junglefowl do not.

Red junglefowl, unlike chickens, can fly and are quieter. Their calls are high-pitched and truncated.

The authorities said purebred red junglefowl are known to occur only on offshore Pulau Ubin and the Western Catchment area.

Ms Jessica Kwok, AVA group director of the animal management group, said the authority has received requests to manage the free-ranging chicken population due to noise pollution.

“To address these, AVA works with NParks to conduct surveillance and control operations to safeguard public health and mitigate nuisance issues,” she said.

Last year, AVA received reports from residents of Pasir Ris and Thomson about the noise from free-ranging chickens.

Due to a lack of relocation options in land-scarce Singapore, the chickens will be humanely euthanised, Ms Kwok said.

This article was first published on Jan 02, 2016.
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NTUC FairPrice has lodged a police report about rumours claiming its housebrand jasmine fragrant rice is made of plastic.

The rumours, in both English and Chinese, were spread on social media and messaging platforms on Tuesday.

A person had claimed in the message that he has confirmation from a chemist friend that the rice was made of plastic.

Some messages also claimed NTUC FairPrice had agreed to withdraw from its stores all its jasmine fragrant rice, which it had carried for over 10 years.

At 8pm on Tuesday, the supermarket chain posted a message on its Facebook page to deny the rumours.
 

Mr Jonas Kor, NTUC FairPrice’s corporate communications director, told The New Paper yesterday: “FairPrice would like to assure all our shoppers that our rice is safe for consumption, and has passed stringent safety checks by the authorities.”

Mr Kor also advised the public to stop circulating the false information which might cause unnecessary alarm.

He added that NTUC FairPrice would be putting up notices at its stores to inform shoppers of the hoax.

When contacted yesterday, a spokesman for the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said it has not detected cases of fake rice in Singapore.

The spokesman added: “As part of our routine surveillance programme, imported rice is regularly inspected and sampled to ensure compliance with our food safety standards and requirements.”

This is not the first plastic rice scare.

In May 2015, plastic rice laced with poisonous resin was said to have entered Asian countries including Singapore.

An AVA spokesman had said then that the rice did not enter Singapore.

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Photo Gallery

10 fake foods you didn’t know you were eating

Source:

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SINGAPORE – Two men were arrested for entering Singapore illegally, after they were caught swimming in the sea off Woodlands Waterfront in the wee hours of Wednesday (Feb 1).

In a joint operation with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, the Police Coast Guard (PCG) arrested the pair after they detected two floating objects in the sea at about 1.44am this morning.

The two male Bangladesh nationals, aged 36 and 37, were intercepted and arrested for unlawful entry into Singapore under the Immigration Act, Chapter 133.

Investigations are ongoing.

Those found guilty of illegal entry or overstaying face up to six months’ jail and at least three strokes of the cane.

The penalties for illegal departure are a fine of up to $2,000, jail of up to six months, or both.

candicec@sph.com.sg