Influenza A (H1N1-2009) Pandemic – What can we do about it?

Flu pandemic has hit us

So far, 94 countries in the world have confirmed more than 44,000 cases of H1N1 infection. The WHO has declared the flu a pandemic and many countries have sustained community infection.

Residents who are older than 50 would have experienced three pandemics in their lives, including the latest H1N1 pandemic. The last two were in 1957 and 1968. More than a million people died world wide. These two pandemics may have caused up to 1000 deaths in Singapore.

As of 21 June, 142 persons have been infected by the H1N1 virus. Among them are several persons who have not travelled to affected countries or come into known contact with confirmed H1N1 patients. In other words, the virus has entered Singapore, and the local cases signal the start of community spread. We should not be surprised. We managed to delay the entry and spread of the H1N1 virus for almost seven weeks before we started to have local cases. This is due to the aggressive containment measures we took in the first phase, including screening for people with fever at the borders. We also spent a lot of resources trying to track down those who were in close contact with confirmed H1N1 cases and quarantined them.

But now, almost 17% of the cases are local cases and from the experience of other countries, there will be many more local community spread cases in the weeks to come. We need to move from the containment strategy to the mitigation strategy so that we can shift more of our resources to treating the infected persons, especially the high-risk ones, and less on contact tracing which has limited effect once community spread occurs. During the mitigation phase, contact tracing will be more focused depending on the advice of the medical experts.

Are we now better prepared for a Pandemic?

Many Singaporeans were hit by SARS in 2003. 238 were diagnosed with the SARS virus and 33 died eventually. About 6,000 people were quarantined. After that bad experience, we started whole-of-government preparations for a flu pandemic. We built on the lessons learnt from the SARS outbreak in 2003.

We set up a national crisis management system to deal with such civil contingencies. I chair a Ministerial Committee comprising Ministers from all key Ministries to coordinate a Whole-of-Government approach to managing the H1N1 outbreak. We are now much better prepared to deal with this pandemic.

What can our residents do?

Now that the H1N1 flu virus has started to spread in the community, we have to be more vigilant. Each of us has an important part to play to slow down the spread of the disease.

We can successfully slow down the spread of H1N1 infections to others if everyone takes adequate precautions. This is what we can do:

• Practise good personal hygiene at all times
• Wash our hands regularly and thoroughly with soap and water, especially before touching the eyes, nose or mouth.
• Turn quickly away from anyone near if we are about to cough or sneeze.
• Cover the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid crowded areas or social activities if we are ill.
• See the doctor promptly and wear mask if ill.
• Avoid taking public transport or taxi to minimise exposure.

More information on the H1N1 flu and precautions you can take are found at these government websites:
www.moh.gov.sg
www.crisis.gov.sg/flu

We can minimise the transmission and the number of cases in Singapore if we all play our part and be socially responsible.

In the coming weeks, we may have to postpone some of our large scale community activities as the situation gets worse. We will also buy vaccines when these are tested to be effective in protecting us from the H1N1 virus.

Wishing all of you good health.


WONG KAN SENG

22 June 2009

Opening of Bishan Harmony Park

The Bishan Harmony Park at the junction of Braddell Road and Bishan Road was officially opened by DPM and Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng and his parliamentary colleagues in the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC on Sunday, 14 June 2009.

The MPs who present with DPM Wong were Mayor Zainudin Nordin, Mrs Josephine Teo and Mr Hri Kumar Nair. Minister for Education Dr Ng Eng Hen was unable to attend due to a prior engagement.

Speaking at the official opening of the park, DPM Wong said, “We have named this Bishan Harmony Park because it is what we collectively aspire to build - a vibrant community where all the residents live harmoniously with one another. The park is not just a place for us to relax and enjoy the facilities; it is also a shared communal space for us to foster relationships with our families, friends and neighbours. As the community grows, we can expect to see more new neighbours, both locals and foreigners. This makes it even more important for us to forge neighbourliness within our community.”

DPM Wong added that the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council and grassroots organisations had community bonding in mind when they came up with the concept of the Harmony Park. The park is a modest green lung with space and facilities for residents to take part in a range of activities, thereby further strengthening community bonding.

Facilities in the park

Located along Bishan Road, it is flanked on one side by Block 105 and Braddell Road on the other side. The 25,200 square metre ground offer facilities such as:
a. In-line skating court
b. Skating bowl
c. Garden maze
d. Multi-purpose court
e. Two barbecue pits
f. Three pavilions; and
g. Eight fitness corners

The Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council has also introduced a variety of floral and shrubs to give the park a lush greenery.

A Family Day was held at the park in conjunction with the official opening.

These are the pictures of the official opening and family day:

RC Zone 6 Block Party@163 on 30 May 2009

A Residents’ Pot-Luck Block Party was held at the BBQ pit near to Block 163 on the evening of 30 May 2009. DPM Wong Kan Seng was invited to attend the event and mingle with residents. The quiet and peaceful environment was an excellent setting for residents to share with DPM Wong on their thoughts about the coming Neighbourhood Renewal Programme.

During the party, residents made use of the BBQ facilities to prepare and share the cooked food with their neighbours. Residents were also treated to a sumptuous meal of durian as dessert. Here are some photos taken during the block party.


..The Bishan East Blog Team..

RC Zone 5 Block Party@141 on 30 May 2009

Dear Residents and Friends,

We are pleased to share with you the photos taken during a block party organised on 30 May 2009 at Block 151. The event was graced by DPM Wong Kan Seng. Participants and our young residents were entertained by games, songs and interesting activities. Children queued up eagerly to collect specially crafted balloons while many were intrigued by the skilful artistes who created portrait sketches and silhouette cuttings on the spot. Many residents took this special opportunity to chat with DPM Wong and also to have their photos taken with our Guest of Honour.

..The Bishan East Blog Team..

RC Zone 4 Block Party@177 on 30 May 2009

Dear Residents and Friends,

The Bishan East Zone 4 RC organised a "Residents' Satay Nite" on the evening of 30 May 2009. The Guest of Honour was none other than our MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, DPM Wong Kang Seng.

Along with the sumptuous satay buffet dinner, residents were serenaded with an interesting medley of oldies and pop songs while children entertained themselves with "longkang" fishing! Enjoy the photos, compliment of Zone 4 RC.



..The Bishan East Blog Team..

RC Zone 2 Block Visit cum Floor Party@117 on 28 May 09

Dear Residents and Friends,

On the evening of 28 May 2009, our Member of Parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, DPM Wong Kan Seng, paid a visit to Block 117 in Bishan East Zone 2 RC. Accompanied by the Zone 2 RC Chairman Mr Chia Pen Chuen and fellow grassroots leaders, DPM visited each household to obtain valuable feedbacks from the residents.

The highlight of the evening was a floor party organised at the 23rd storey of the block. Neighbours and residents chipped in generously to hold a pot-luck party and took the opportunity to mingle and interact. Many residents took this opportunity to have photos taken with DPM Wong.

Here are some photos taken during the block visit and the floor party.



..Bishan East Blog Team..