SINGAPORE – A 54-year-old man who was charged for escaping from the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) while receiving treatment for tuberculosis has been sentenced to six months’ jail.

Mohamed Zaini Parman also gave false particulars to policemen to evade going back into isolation, according to The Straits Times.

Channel NewsAsia reported that this is the second conviction under the Act. The first incident in 2003 was when a man disobeyed a home quarantine order during the SARS epidemic. He too, was jailed for six months.

Zaini pleaded guilty to two charges of leaving a place of isolation while under treatment under the Infectious Diseases Act, and giving false information to the police.

He was first diagnosed with TB on Jan 3, 2014 at Changi General Hospital (CGH), but failed to turn up on Jan 13 for his appointment at the Tuberculosis Control Unit for treatment, remaining uncontactable thereafter.

He also failed to report for a medical examination and treatment after a notice was issued on March 18. He was served an isolation order on May 8 which required him to be detained and isolated at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Communicable Disease Centre (CDC), but he fled the premises thrice.

Medical reports showed that Zaini was still infectious when he fled the CDC on May 23, 2014 and again on Jan 25 last year. And he had a high bacterial load before he absconded on June 19 last year.

Zaini could have been jailed for up to six months and/or fined up to $10,000 for absconding from the CDC. For lying to the police, he could have been jailed for up to a year and/or fined up to $5,000.

candicec@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE – Singapore did not report any new cases of Zika virus on Tuesday, according to data published on National Environment Agency website.

Island city-state Singapore reported its first locally infected Zika patient on Aug. 27 and since then, the number of reported infections has risen to 333.

While most people experience mild symptoms, Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which the head and brain are undersized. In adults, it can cause a rare neurological syndrome called Guillain-Barre.

Locally-transmitted Zika in Singapore

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The Straits Times, The New Paper

Fighting Zika: Which mosquito repellent to use

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The Straits Times, New Straits Times, Avon, Reuters, The Business Times, Ronnie Lim, Far East Flora

His late uncle loved to cook for the family, but could use only his right arm after a stroke a few years ago.

Once, his uncle was struggling with scraping ingredients off a pot and he helped him by tilting it, said research assistant Loren Lim, 25.

“He told me how small gestures like this were helpful, and that got me thinking about how to address challenges faced by people with one functioning arm,” he said.

Mr Lim, an industrial design graduate from the National University of Singapore, went on to create Oneware, a kitchenware project which recently won a design award.

It helps people with just one functioning arm – such as stroke victims, amputees and people with hand injuries – to cut fruits and wash dishes more easily. People without disabilities, such as mothers carrying their children or people cutting food while speaking on the phone, could also benefit.

Last week, the Oneware project beat 14 others to be named the Singapore winner of this year’s James Dyson Award, which has 22 countries taking part. The global winner will be announced on Oct 27.

The award is run by the James Dyson Foundation, a charity set up by Sir James Dyson, the founder of British technology firm Dyson who is known for inventing the bagless vacuum cleaner.

Graphic designer Kelley Cheng, who has been in the business for more than 25 years, was one of the local judges.

She said: “Oneware is a winner as it is a socially conscious invention that looks into daily problems faced by the less fortunate. It is a simple design with a clear functionality.”

Oneware consists of a main frame with modular units such as a special chopping board and a silicone mat for the washing of dishes.

The chopping board has small structures, like tines on a fork, that help to hold food in place so it can be cut with just one hand holding a knife, without the need for another hand to hold the food.

The silicone mat has holes – so water goes through – and small circular bumps that form a grip so dishes are held in place when people exert strength in scrubbing the dishes.

Mr Lim told The Straits Times that designing the silicone grip was challenging – there were more than 50 design iterations of it.

“The material had to be of the right tension and flexibility. Even the design of the bumps was considered. If the bump was like a small cross, it could collect dust,” he said.

A section of Oneware also allows people to hook on, with one hand, a plastic bag for food waste, instead of using two hands to line a small pail with the plastic bag. Mr Lim took about a year to develop Oneware, interviewing potential users and getting them to try it out.

Ticketing officer Muhammad Afiq, 24, whose left arm was amputated after a car accident, tried Oneware and found it very helpful.

“(In the past), the frustration that I got from washing dishes was really high because they keep moving when I want to scrub them. But with Oneware, the plates and utensils stay on that net and I can scrub them without worrying,” he said.

Mr Lim said there are still some refinements needed, and he is in talks with manufacturers to see how production can be made cheaper and where it can be distributed.

While Oneware is not on sale yet, he will visit the headquarters of furniture giant Ikea in Sweden in November, as he also won this year’s Ikea Singapore Young Designer Award. “I think it’s a good opportunity to work towards the possibility of it being part of a product in Ikea,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Lim believes his late uncle, who died last year, would have been proud of his work. “He liked to help people, so I think he’d like this kind of products to be out in the market, helping people.”

This article was first published on September 13, 2016.
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