Establishing an ASEAN Early-warning Network and Medical Support Arrangements for Emerging Infectious Diseases
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns whether Singapore will work with ASEAN members to establish a regional early-warning network and medical support arrangements for emerging infectious diseases. Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim enquired about establishing common standards for sharing samples and data, setting outbreak identification timelines, and arranging Singapore laboratory testing support for neighbouring health systems. Minister Ong Ye Kung responded that existing platforms, such as the ASEAN Emergency Operations Centre Network and the ASEAN Biological Threats Surveillance Centre, already facilitate communicable disease intelligence sharing. He added that Singapore's National Public Health Laboratory provides testing support and information exchange, while the upcoming ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases will coordinate regional surveillance. Minister Ong Ye Kung also highlighted that pandemics are global events, noting Singapore's active participation in global disease surveillance platforms like the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data.
Transcript
12 Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health whether Singapore will work with ASEAN members to establish a regional early-warning network for emerging infectious diseases, with terms of reference that would include setting (i) common standards for sharing samples and data (ii) target timelines for identifying unusual outbreaks and (iii) arrangements for Singapore laboratories to provide testing support when neighbouring health systems face limited capacity during outbreaks.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: There are existing mechanisms in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to enhance our collective capabilities to detect and respond to emerging infectious diseases. For example, the ASEAN Emergency Operations Centre Network and the ASEAN Biological Threats Surveillance Centre (ABVC) are platforms that enable ASEAN member states to share communicable disease intelligence. Disease surveillance information shared to the ABVC is published on an online dashboard that is updated daily.
Our National Public Health Laboratory also maintains longstanding collaborative ties with their counterparts in ASEAN member states, facilitating information exchange, sharing of technical experience, sharing of reference biological materials and confirmatory testing. ASEAN is in the process of establishing the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED). Once established, ACPHEED will play a central role in coordinating regional communicable disease surveillance efforts.
Notwithstanding the above, a pandemic crisis is a global and not a regional event. Global efforts to conduct disease surveillance, genome sequence high risk and novel pathogens, notify and share them promptly with the world, are essential to effective pandemic preparedness and response. The key platform today is the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data, which Singapore is actively involved in.