There is a new outbreak of Meningitis that has been spreading ever since the opening of the new Meningitis Treatment Centre (MTC) in Covid. The name of the centre has generated some negative press for the Government, as they have been likened to the fictional Jokester's Village in the movie Dumb and Dumber. The press however, has been more than sympathetic towards the efforts being made by the authorities to contain the disease.
On the plus side, the authorities have been aggressive in stamping out the outbreak, especially since it was apparent that the disease had been spreading across the city. At first they declared martial law and closed all public schools, forcing parents to send children to private schools. They also banned the consumption of vaccines. Those with Meningitis were also advised to stay at home, or at least away from places where the elderly were present, such as care homes.
While this policy has reduced the number of cases, there is still a large majority of children who have not received the vaccine. This has resulted in a push towards mass screening of all children attending primary school in Singapore. It is not known whether the outbreaks of Meningitis will continue or if the Government's strategy of containing them will be effective. If the current trend continues, then it is highly likely that we will see an increase in the number of Meningitis outbreaks in Singapore news in the coming years. The lack of vaccines and the fact that Singapore is still lagging behind other countries in terms of health and nutrition may only lead to an increased case of Meningitis in the future.
As the news regarding the Meningitis outbreaks spreads, the parents of the children who have contracted the illness are not taking it lying down. Rather, they are feverishly searching for ways to find a cure for their children. One such organization is the "Covid Foundation", which has launched a mobile cooking service to cater for those families who are in need of nutritious food for their children. The news of the outbreak has also reached Hollywood as famous celebrities such as Brad Pitt, Gary Coleman and others have pitched in with their help. So much so that the foundation has extended its help to the Philippines where an outbreak of Meningitis was recently reported.
With all this going on, the question is, can Singapore provide adequate levels of treatment and care for these children? Can the Government prevent more outbreaks before they hit the rate we've already seen? Can we develop vaccines to combat diseases such as HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) and NIP (Nail Infection)? Or, is there no way to make the vaccines work to their fullest effect without causing further suffering to the young people?
While we wait for answers to these questions, the children suffering from this disease are not in a good position to do much about it. They are simply looking forward to having a normal life. And that is something that can be hard to come by. In fact, many parents have expressed fears over how their children will cope when school time comes. It will be a new environment, new school, new people and new everything. Some families have even gone as far as hiring security guards to watch their children while at home.
