Singapore launches Asia-Pacific initiative to earlier identify next big infectious disease threat
APOHI's first project looks into the risks in Borneo of monkey malaria being transmitted to humans.
Singapore has launched a new Asia-Pacific initiative called the Asia Pacific One Health Initiative (APOHI) to better identify and respond to emerging infectious disease threats. The APOHI, based in Singapore, aims to integrate human, wildlife, and environmental health data to enhance early warning capabilities for potential outbreaks.
Dr. Leo Yee-Sin, an infectious diseases specialist and co-lead of APOHI, explained that the initiative is crucial given the region's high population density and rich biodiversity, which increase the risk of zoonotic disease threats - diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans.
APOHI's co-lead, Dr. Leo, highlighted the importance of better communication and information sharing between countries, institutions, and experts during the SARS outbreak and the Covid-19 pandemic. She noted that during Covid-19, there were existing networks and opportunities for global collaboration, but more could be done to improve early detection and response mechanisms.
The APOHI initiative relies on a "one health" approach, which brings together information on human, animal, and environmental health to build a more comprehensive picture of emerging threats. However, integrating these data sources is challenging due to siloed surveillance systems and fragmented information across borders. Dr. Ng Boon Heong, executive director of the Temasek Foundation, emphasized that the initiative aims to provide the region with an earlier warning capability by connecting these signals and identifying patterns.
Over the next decade, APOHI plans to advance integrated surveillance, predictive intelligence, and cross-border scientific research to strengthen preparedness against emerging infectious disease threats. The first program under APOHI focuses on identifying potential hotspots for the spread of monkey malaria in Borneo. This project, led by spatial epidemiologist Kimberly Fornace, will work with researchers and institutions across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei to collect and analyze human, monkey, and environmental data.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
