SINGAPORE: Can you get measles even if you have been vaccinated? And what should you do if you come into contact with someone who has the viral disease?

Amid a spike in cases around the world, Singaporeans have been urged to be vigilant as the country is likely to see more imported cases of measles, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday (Jul 23). 

So far this year, there have been 116 measles cases in Singapore, although MOH said there is currently no evidence of a community spread. 

Here is what you need to know about measles and how you can protect yourself.

HOW IS MEASLES SPREAD?

Measles is a highly contagious disease that affects a person’s respiratory system and often results in a skin rash.

The virus spreads easily through direct contact with the saliva or mucus of an infected person, whether through coughing, sneezing or contact with contaminated surfaces.  

While measles is more common among children, it can be contracted at any age if a person has not had the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination. 

SYMPTOMS OF MEASLES

Symptoms of measles usually start to appear 10 to 12 days after you come into contact with a contagious person, said MOH on its health portal.

Early symptoms include coughing, a runny or stuffy nose, malaise, red eyes, tearing and a fever.

Two to four days later, bluish-white spots called Koplik’s spots may start to appear on the inside of cheeks. At the same time, or slightly later, a skin rash would spread across the person’s face, neck, trunk, limbs, palms and soles of the feet.

Diarrhoea, vomiting and inflammation of the eyes are also associated symptoms of measles.

HOW DANGEROUS IS IT?

Children are at high risk of developing complications.

While most patients recover completely from measles, it can also lead to ear infection and pneumonia for older patients.

In rare cases, measles may cause encephalitis – an acute inflammation of the brain – and increase the risk of seizures, epilepsy, mental disability, coma or death.

WHY IS MEASLES VACCINATION COMPULSORY IN SINGAPORE?

Measles epidemics used to occur every one to three years in Singapore during the 1960s and 1970s, and most children developed measles after the age of one.

A measles vaccination was introduced in 1976, but the acceptance rate was poor because of “cultural beliefs that measles is an innocuous and inevitable childhood infection”, said MOH in a report.

In 1984, there was a record of 2,417 cases, including seven deaths. 

The following year, measles vaccination, which consists of two doses, was made compulsory for all Singaporean children aged 12 to 24 months.

Earlier this year, it was made compulsory for foreign children applying for a long-term visit pass to be fully vaccinated against measles.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET MEASLES EVEN AFTER VACCINATION? 

Those who have had the two doses of MMR vaccines are usually considered protected for their entire lives, said Dr Yan Shiyuan, medical director at Edgedale Medical Clinic (Cambridge).

“The two doses of MMR vaccines are 97 per cent effective against measles,” he told CNA.

Dr Yan added that while some might still get measles despite being vaccinated, this may be due to a decrease of the immune system’s ability to fight the virus over time.

“There are also some people with immune systems that may not produce sufficient antibodies to fight the virus after being vaccinated,” he explained.

SHOULD TRAVELLERS GET VACCINATED?

If you are travelling to places with a high-risk of measles infection, Dr Yan’s advice is to take the necessary vaccinations beforehand. 

“Children (below the age of 12 months) and adults with no documented evidence of measles vaccination should receive two doses of MMR vaccine at least 28 days apart,” said Dr Yan. 

Infants between six to 11 months old travelling to high-risk countries should also receive one dose of vaccination, followed by another two doses at 12 months and 15 months. 

For adults, those who have evidence of only one dose of the vaccine should receive a booster shot before travelling.

“It is important to ensure good hygiene during travel such as frequent hand washing, wearing a face mask and avoiding close contact with sick people,” he added. 

WHAT TO DO IF EXPOSED TO A PERSON WITH MEASLES 

If a person has been exposed to measles, they should talk to their doctor about vaccination, said Dr Yan.

“It is not harmful to be vaccinated after being exposed to measles,” he said.

“If a person receives MMR vaccination within 72 hours after exposure, they may be able to get some protection against the disease or have milder symptoms.”

Children below the age of 11 months should especially avoid contact with an infected person. They should also be taken to the doctor for consultation on vaccination. 

WHY THE INCREASE IN MEASLES CASES HERE AND AROUND THE WORLD?

If most Singaporeans have been vaccinated against the disease, then what are the possible reasons for the rise in measles cases?

In May, Minister of Health Gan Kim Yong said in Parliament that the global increase in measles outbreak was due to “declining vaccination coverage in many countries”.

“This has resulted in a significant increase of non-immune individuals in the community, making it easier for the disease to spread,” said Mr Gan.

“Being a travel hub, Singapore is also exposed to imported cases.”

READ: As a measles epidemic rolls through the Philippines, blame falls on bungled vaccination programme

READ: Measles threat looms in Philippines as trust in vaccines declines: Health officials

On Tuesday, MOH said that of the 116 measles cases confirmed this year, 88 were local and 28 were imported rom Bangladesh, Dubai, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Measles cases rose 300 per cent globally through the first three months of 2019 compared to the same period last year, according to the World Health Organization.

This has been attributed to slipping vaccination rates amid a so-called anti-vax movement. The movement has been driven by claims linking the MMR vaccine to the risk of autism in children.  

SINGAPORE: In 1975, a young man named Tony Tan Ciaktong opened an ice-cream shop in Manila. 

Three years later, the Tan Ciaktong family picked up on a bigger local appetite for hot meals and sandwiches, and Jollibee – a small restaurant chain serving a Filipino take on fast food – was born.

By early 2019, Jollibee was selling its hot-favourite Chickenjoy and Jolly Spaghetti special in more than 1,000 restaurants in the Philippines – beating out Burger King and McDonald’s in both popularity and market share. 

But like its addictive fried chicken bucket, it was just not enough. 

Jollibee Foods, whose founder and chairman is now a billionaire several times over, is on a mission to conquer the world. And with a ballpark of 4,000 stores under 14 brands in 20 countries, it is well on its way. 

Here is a timeline of Jollibee’s rapid (and lip-smacking) climb towards realising its vision of becoming one of the top five restaurant companies in the world. 

ROAD TO CHINA

In January 2016, following a spate of more low-profile acquisitions, Jollibee Foods entered a joint venture to be the exclusive operator of Dunkin’ Donuts in China, reportedly with plans to launch 1,400 stores in the world’s second-largest economy over 20 years. 

DIM SUM DEAL

2018 marked a major boost in Jollibee’s international profile, starting with its S$45 million investment in a fund set to become the new master franchise holder of Michelin-starred dim sum chain Tim Ho Wan.

This means Jollibee now has a substantial stake in the running of all the Tim Ho Wan joints in the region, except in Hong Kong where the restaurant popular for its barbecue pork buns was founded in 2009. 

SMASHING THE BURGER MARKET

In December 2018, Jollibee became the owner of classic American burger brand Smashburger, which has more than 300 outlets across the US, UK and Canada, plus a handful in Saudi Arabia. 

The move put the Filipino company in a solid position to compete with big names like Five Guys and Shake Shack in the “better burger” segment. 

GOING MEXICAN

That same month, Jollibee put on its sombrero in a bid to challenge the world’s top fast food operators, investing US$12.4 million (S$16.9 million) for a nearly 50 per cent stake in Tortas Fronterra. 

The US Mexican food brand which serves pork, beef and chicken sandwiches with sides of guacamole and salsa. 

JAVA JUMP

Even with its worldwide, cross-flavour expansion, Jollibee’s biggest business has always been its namesake Philippine-born brand – but that is set to change with the company’s US$350 million purchase of US-based specialty coffee and tea chain Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. 

In the Philippine Stock Exchange filing, Tan Caktiong described the acquisition as Jollibee’s “largest and most multinational so far with business presence in 27 countries” – giving the Jollibee vision a massive caffeine boost.

SINGAPORE: A cleaner who chanced upon a toy grenade near the Istana placed it upright to see how the public would react to it.

For his threatening behaviour, 59-year-old Elankovan Marimuthu was fined S$4,500 on Wednesday (Jul 24).

The court heard that Elankovan’s work involved cleaning Istana Park and the surrounding areas.

He was doing so at about 7am on Nov 3, 2017, when he came across a toy grenade lying on its side near a fire hydrant along Penang Lane.

He decided to position the grenade in an upright manner, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Thiagesh Sukumaran, and used a pair of tongs to do so before leaving the scene.

He did this because he wanted to see how the public would react to the item once it was discovered, said the prosecutor.

At about 2.05pm that day, two motorists were at the junction of Penang Lane and Orchard Road when they noticed the toy grenade at the fire hydrant. One of them called the police.

The incident sparked a deployment of public resources. The police cordoned off the area after they arrived at the scene.

MORE THAN 40 OFFICERS DEPLOYED

A total of 39 officers were deployed from various units of the Singapore Police Force, along with eight members of the Singapore Armed Forces Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive Defence Group and other police officers who swept the surrounding areas including Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.

Penang Lane was closed for half an hour and partially cordoned off to traffic for 45 minutes, while police advisories were disseminated to advise the public to stay clear of the area.

In this time, a number of phone calls were made to the police hotline complaining of traffic congestion in the area.

It was established at about 5pm that the item was a toy and Penang Lane was subsequently reopened. It is not known who placed the toy there in the first place.

Closed-circuit television footage confirmed that Elankovan had positioned the grenade in an upright manner, and he was asked to assist in investigations the next morning when he went to the Istana Park.

He admitted that he had repositioned the toy and did so because he wanted to see how the public would react to it.

Elankovan pleaded guilty to one charge under the Protection from Harassment Act of using threatening behaviour by positioning the toy grenade in an upright manner, behaviour likely to cause alarm.

The prosecution asked for a fine of S$4,500, saying it was not unreasonable to characterise Elankovan’s behaviour as “irresponsible” in today’s security climate.

The area was filled with tourists and was adjacent to the Istana, and his act wasted public resources and created inconvenience to the public.

“The public messaging today is that everything suspicious should be reported to the authorities,” said the prosecutor, adding that Elankovan had not reported it when he first saw the object.

“He turned it into his own little game,” said the prosecutor. “He wanted to see how the public would react.”

The fine would send a message that such conduct is unacceptable and that it is not a joke nor a game, but has serious consequences, he said.

Defence lawyer Rajan Supramaniam told the court that his client was not highly educated and wishes to close this “unfortunate chapter” in his life.

He has worked with Veolia ES Singapore Industrial for 17 years and was redesignated as a senior machine operator after the incident.

“Our client has truly learnt a hard and bitter lesson as a result of his foolish and wrongful actions,” said the lawyer, asking for leniency.

District Judge May Mesenas said it was fortunate that the prosecution had reduced the charge from a more serious one under the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations, which carries maximum penalties of 10 years’ jail, a S$500,000 fine, or both.

“Hopefully this is a lesson learned for you, not to be taken lightly,” said the judge. “After this incident, look at what happened.”

The toy grenade was forfeited to the police for disposal.

Elankovan could have been fined a maximum of S$5,000 for his offence.

SINGAPORE: While the rest of the city slumbered, the wee hours of Wednesday (Jul 24) saw officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) storm the grandstands at the Padang in the aftermath of a “chemical attack” to evacuate “parade-goers”.

Involving 400 participants and 42 emergency vehicles, the exercise led by SCDF was meant to prepare emergency personnel for contingencies that may occur during the upcoming National Day Parade (NDP) on Aug 9.

Just after 2.30am, officers kitted out in gas masks and grey chemical agent suits made for the “casualties” with their stretchers and casualty hoods that filter harmful chemicals, while HazMat specialists decked out in fully-encapsulated orange suits arrived on the scene to locate the harmful chemical agent hidden in the stands.

Within minutes, the HazMat team was able to locate the source of the harmful substance, mitigate the chemical release and decontaminate the area to remove its harmful effects before taking samples for analysis.

Meanwhile, evacuated casualties were put through the decontamination process and administered first aid.

Working seamlessly with the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and Ministry of Health (MOH), the SCDF successfully ended their multi-agency exercise at 3.30am.

Speaking to reporters after the exercise, SCDF’s director of operations Assistant Commissioner (AC) Daniel Seet said that while exercises and events held at the Padang were special due to its historical setting, challenges came with the venue due to its “spread-out terrain” and unfamiliar grounds due to rare standbys there that usually only occur once every five years.

“The main challenge for our personnel is to make sure that they are familiar with the place; they know where the various facilities are. We take that into account in terms of how we deploy our assets,” he said.

The emergency preparedness exercise which was done in phases saw each agency pull their weight equally – something that AC Seet believes is crucial for the success of an operation.

“Stringing a contingency response together for an event like the NDP is actually very complex … there are many, many moving parts. The SCDF handles one major component of it, but we don’t do it alone,” he said.

“The police provide the security overlay; we have our colleagues from the Ministry of Health to take care of the first aid point and the casualty treatment. We have colleagues from the SAF to support us in terms of casualty decontamination, triaging and casualty treatment. So exercises such as this are important for us to be able to string the entire process together, to make sure that it all works out.”

SINGAPORE: A war relic was found on Tuesday (Jul 23) at a construction site at 60 Geylang Lorong 23, near Aljunied MRT station.

It was discovered by an excavator operator at about 9.30am, said Mr Subari, safety officer of Trust Build Engineering & Construction.

​​​​​​​

Mr Subari told CNA that the Singapore Armed Forces’ Explosive Ordnance Disposal team has determined that the war relic is not live. It had not been removed when CNA visited the site at about 2pm.

Contractors have been instructed to engage a licensed third-party contractor to remove the relic, he added.

CNA has contacted the police for more information.

This story came from a reader tip-off. If you would like to send in photos or videos of something newsworthy, WhatsApp our Mediacorp news hotline at +65 8218 8281 or message us on Facebook.

SINGAPORE: Cooler Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats could soon be a reality for Singaporeans.

At the Urban Sustainability R&D Congress 2019 on Tuesday (Jul 23), HDB signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Evonik (SEA) to incorporate the firm’s new silicon-based material into the roofing of HDB flats, offering better protection against Singapore’s heat.

Called Calostat, the insulation could reduce ambient temperature in HDB flats by up to 2 degrees Celsius.

Initial trials are expected to start in the first quarter of 2020, and Calostat could also potentially be used for other parts of the building if they are successful, said HDB in a press release.

“The silicon-based material, which is sustainable, non-combustible, hydrophobic (able to repel water) and pressure resistant, has been tested and proven to have good thermal insulation properties, and adopted in developments in Germany, Switzerland and London,” HDB added.

WATCH: 10 innovations adopted to improve HDB living

READ: HDB in collaboration to develop ‘useful’ apps, services for residents

HDB and Evonik are also working on improving concrete pre-mix, to allow for 3D printing of HDB building components.

In contrast to the conventional pre-cast production process, 3D printing will reduce the time needed to build flats and will offer buyers more design options for their homes.

It will also tackle the issue of labour shortages in the construction industry, and improve workers’ productivity.

HDB also signed an MoU with V-Key to study potential enhancements to HDB’s existing smart living systems, already in place at the new Punggol Northshore flats.

The study hopes to integrate smart appliances across different brands to create a seamless experience for HDB home users. This will include features such as smart lighting, smart curtains and motion sensors.

CITIES OF TOMORROW

At the congress, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong also announced that S$70 million of the previously allocated S$150 million will be dedicated to research and development under the Cities of Tomorrow programme.

This money will be used to address challenges that Singapore might face in the future, including climate change, and to maintain the city’s liveability.

READ: ‘Time is running out’: Tackling climate change a priority for Singapore, says Masagos

READ: Commentary: As time runs out on the climate crisis, Singapore prepares to address the cost of adapting

He also announced a new initiative, called the Built Environment Technology Alliance (BETA), which will facilitate the access of firms in the built environment sector to new technology and reduce costs.

Five R&D awards were also given out by Mr Wong to “recognise and encourage outstanding R&D efforts from the MND Family and partners”.

Both HDB and the National Environment Agency (NEA) were given distinguished awards for the Smart Hub project and Project Wolbachia respectively.

HDB’s Smart Hub project is a centralised data platform for 10,000 HDB flats across 24 towns, which collects data from smart estate services and develops business intelligence tools for performance monitoring and data analytics.

Project Wolbachia by NEA aims to reduce the number of dengue mosquitoes in Singapore by removing the male mosquito’s ability to breed.

Three other projects by the Energy Market Authority (EMA), A*STAR and HDB also won merit awards.

SINGAPORE: Singapore authorities on Sunday (Jul 21) seized S$66.2 million worth of elephant ivory and pangolin scales after they intercepted a transshipment bound for Vietnam.

Officials found 11.9 tonnes of pangolin scales and 8.8 tonnes of elephant ivory in a container from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said the National Parks Board, Singapore Customs and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority in a joint release on Tuesday.

The container was part of a shipment of three being transhipped through Singapore to Vietnam, and had been declared as timber.

However “upon inspection, sacks containing pangolin scales and elephant ivory were found in one of the containers,” said the news release.

READ: Commentary: Singapore’s proposed ivory ban would help save elephants

Packed into 132 bags were 8.8 tonnes of elephant ivory estimated to be worth US$12.9 million (S$17.6 million) – the largest seizure of elephant ivory in Singapore to date, according to the release.

About 300 African elephants were killed for this shipment.

READ: Nearly 13 tonnes of pangolin scales worth S$52 million seized in Singapore

The shipment also contained 11.9 tonnes of pangolin scales, which were packed into 237 bags. They are estimated to be worth about US$35.7 million and came from 2,000 pangolins, the release said.

The scales came from the Giant Pangolin, which is native to Africa. The species is considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Sunday’s haul marks the third major seizure of pangolin scales in Singapore this year. Since April this year, the authorities have seized a total of 37.5 tonnes of pangolin scales.

In April, Singapore also seized 177kg of cut up and carved elephant ivory worth US$88,500.

“These latest seizures are testament to Singapore’s commitment to the global effort to stem illegal trade in CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)-listed species, including their parts and derivatives,” said the news release. 

“The seized pangolin scales and elephant ivory will be destroyed to prevent them from re-entering the market.”

Both pangolins and elephants are protected species and international trade in elephant ivory and pangolins is not allowed. They are poached and traded for ornamental and medicinal uses. 

Under the Endangered Species (Import & Export) Act, the maximum penalty for illegal import, export and re-export of wildlife is a fine of up to S$500,000 and/or 2 years’ imprisonment. 

The same penalties apply to transit or transhipment of CITES-listed species of wildlife, including their parts and derivatives.