Outbreak of caliciviruses in the Singapore military, 2015.

BACKGROUND: From 31 August to 9 September 2015, a total of 150 military personnel at a military institution in Singapore were infected with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) with an attack rate of approximately 3%. This study aimed to determine the epidemiology of the outbreak, investigate its origins, and discuss measures to prevent future occurrences. METHODS: After the AGE outbreak was declared on 31 August 2015, symptom surveys, hygiene inspections, and the testing of water, food, and stool samples were initiated. We collected 86 stool samples from AGE cases and 58 samples from food-handlers during the course of the outbreak and these stool samples were tested for 8 bacterial pathogens and 2 viral pathogens (i.e., norovirus and sapovirus). RESULTS: We detected Sapovirus (SaV), group I Norovirus (NoV GI) and group II Norovirus (NoV GII) from the stool samples of AGE cases. Further sequence analyses showed that the AGE outbreak in August was caused mainly by three rarely reported calicivirus novel genotypes: NoV GI.7, NoV GII.17 and SaV GII.3. Control measures implemented focused on the escalation of personal and environmental hygiene, which included the separation of affected and unaffected soldiers, enforcement of rigorous hand-washing and hygiene, raising awareness of food and water safety, and disinfection of communal areas with bleach. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified both NoV and SaV as the causative agents for an AGE outbreak at a Singapore military camp in August 2015. This study is also the first to report SaV as one of the main causative agents, highlighting the importance of caliciviruses as causative agents of AGE outbreaks in the Singapore military. As there are no commercially available vaccines against caliciviruses, strict personal hygiene and proper disinfection of environmental surfaces remain crucial to prevent calicivirus outbreak and transmission.

Socioeconomic factors affecting colorectal, breast and cervical cancer screening in an Asian urban low-income setting at baseline and post-intervention.

BACKGROUND: Inequalities in cancer screening are little studied in Asian societies. We determined whether area and individual measures of socio-economic status (SES) affected cancer screening participation in Singapore and prospectively evaluated an access-enhancing community-based intervention. METHODS: The study population involved all residents aged >40 years in two housing estates comprising of owner-occupied (high-SES area) and rental (low-SES area) flats. From 2009 to 2011, non-adherents to regular screening for colorectal/breast/cervical cancer were offered free convenient screening over six months. Pre- and post-intervention screening rates were compared with McNemar's test. Multi-level logistic regression identified factors of regular screening at baseline; Cox regression analysis identified predictors of screening post-intervention. RESULTS: Participation was 78.2% (1081/1383). In the low-SES area, 7.7% (33/427), 20.4% (44/216), and 14.3% (46/321) had regular colorectal, cervical and breast cancer screening respectively. Post-intervention, screening rates in the low-SES area rose significantly to 19.0% (81/427), 25.4% (55/216), and 34.3% (74/216) respectively (p<0.001). Area SES was more consistently associated with screening than individual SES at baseline. Post-intervention, for colorectal cancer screening, those with higher education were more likely to attend (p=0.004); for female cancer screening, the higher-income were less likely to attend (p=0.032). CONCLUSIONS: Access-enhancing community-based interventions improve participation among disadvantaged strata of Asian societies.

Screening for cardiovascular disease risk factors in an urban low-income setting at baseline and post intervention: a prospective intervention study.

BACKGROUND: Not all segments of society might have equal access to screening. We determined predictors for regular cardiovascular health screening at baseline amongst those of low socioeconomic status (SES) and evaluated the effectiveness of a 6-month intervention on screening in this group compared to a high-SES group. METHODS: The study population involved all residents aged ≥ 40 years in two housing estates comprising owner-occupied housing (high SES) and rental flats (low SES) in Singapore. From 2009 to 2011, residents not being screened regularly at baseline for hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidaemia were offered free and convenient blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and lipid testing over 6 months. Chi-squared and multi-level logistic regression identified predictors of regular screening at baseline; likelihood ratio and Cox regression analysis identified predictors of screening participation post intervention. RESULTS: Participation was 78.2% (1081/1383). At baseline, in the low-SES group, 41.7% (150/360), 38.8% (177/456), and 30.8% (128/416) had gone for regular hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidaemia screening, respectively; compared with higher numbers in the high-SES group. Sociodemographic factors predicting regular screening in the low-SES community included being married and not smoking. Post intervention, screening rates rose significantly (p < 0.001) by similar proportions in both communities. Staying in a lower-SES community (adjusted relative risk (aRR) 0.61, 95% CI 0.37-0.99, p = 0.048) and having hypertension (aRR 0.45, 95% CI 0.18-0.98, p = 0.049) was associated with lower take-up; Chinese ethnicity (aRR 1.84, 95% CI 1.00-3.43, p = 0.050) and employment associated with higher take-up (aRR 1.57, 95% CI 1.03-2.60, p = 0.040). CONCLUSION: Participation in cardiovascular health screening was poor amongst those of low SES; a 6-month intervention programme improved participation in this population.

Individual and Area Level Socioeconomic Status and Its Association with Cognitive Function and Cognitive Impairment (Low MMSE) among Community-Dwelling Elderly in Singapore.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) can affect cognitive function. We assessed cognitive function and cognitive impairment among community-dwelling elderly in a multi-ethnic urban low-SES Asian neighborhood and compared them with a higher-SES neighborhood. METHODS: The study population involved all residents aged ≥60 years in two housing estates comprising owner-occupied housing (higher SES) and rental flats (low SES) in Singapore in 2012. Cognitive impairment was defined as <24 on the Mini Mental State Examination. Demographic/clinical details were collected via questionnaire. Multilevel linear regression was used to evaluate factors associated with cognitive function, while multilevel logistic regression determined predictors of cognitive impairment. RESULTS: Participation was 61.4% (558/909). Cognitive impairment was found in 26.2% (104/397) of residents in the low-SES community and in 16.1% (26/161) of residents in the higher-SES community. After adjusting for other sociodemographic variables, living in a low-SES community was independently associated with poorer cognitive function (ß = -1.41, SD = 0.58, p < 0.01) and cognitive impairment (adjusted odds ratio 5.13, 95% CI 1.98-13.34). Among cognitively impaired elderly in the low-SES community, 96.2% (100/104) were newly detected. CONCLUSION: Living in a low-SES community is independently associated with cognitive impairment in an urban Asian society.

The pedagogical value of a student-run community-based experiential learning project: The Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Public Health Screening.

INTRODUCTION: We assessed the pedagogical value of a student-led community-based experiential learning project called the Public Health Screening (PHS) run by medical and nursing students of the National University of Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS YLLSoM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-administered anonymised questionnaire on medical and nursing students who participated in PHS using the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Survey Instrument. Participants also gave an overall score for their learning experience at the PHS. RESULTS: The participation rate was 93.1% (576/619) for medical students and 100% (37/37) for nursing students. All participants gave the PHS learning experience a high rating (median = 8 out of maximum of 10, inter-quartile range, 7 to 9). A majority of participants felt that PHS had helped them to improve across all domains surveyed. For medical students, those in preclinical years and females were independently more likely to feel that PHS had helped them to improve in communication skills, teamwork, ability to identify social issues, taking action, and gaining and applying their knowledge than those in clinical years and males. Improved ability to interact with patients (ß=1.64, 95%CI, 1.01-2.27), appreciation of challenges to healthcare faced by Singaporeans from lower income groups (ß=0.93, 95%CI, 0.49-1.37), thinking of others (ß=0.70, 95%CI, 0.04-1.37) and tolerance of different people (ß =0.63, 95%CI, 0.17-1.10) were strongly associated with the overall rating score. CONCLUSION: PHS was a positive learning experience in a wide range of domains for all students involved. This suggests that student-organised community-based experiential learning projects have potential educational value for both medical and nursing students.