Archive of "Talks on plan to deal with Aids", The Straits Times, 6 August 1985

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Talks on plan to deal with Aids

By KONG SOOK CHIN

HIGH LEVEL discussions among Health Ministry ■ officials and the Aids

• Advisory Committee on a comprehensive plan to deal with the disease are expected later this week, ft is understood that the plan covers "the total works" — from stepped, up public education on • Aids (acquired immune 1 deficiency syndrome I to , monitoring and tests for the presem e of antibodies to the Aids-related virus, HTLV-III.

A source said that a position paper on the plan which will cover not B;t this year or the next, t a much longer term — is with Health Ministry' headquarters. Health and Finance Minister Dr Richard Hu and the Minister of State (Health and Foreign Affairs), Mr Yeo cheow Tong, are expected to see the paper before the meet* n^Tie Aids Advisory Committee is made up of government doctors. The plan's strategies will most likely include the training of doctors.

nurses and laboratory staff, more public education. and perhaps. even the setting up of more laboratories to do the necessary tests It is understood that the Elisa test used as a screen fur antibodies to the virus is now done manually and the few laboratory technicians doing the test are hard-pressed.

Training of more staff

The plan Is expected to provide for the training of more staff and even getting equipment which would partially, If not fully, automate such tests Doctors will, however, still interpret the results Elisa tests are done at a Pathology Department laboratory m the Singapore General Hospital for the high-risk groups of haemophiliacs, homosexuals and prostitutes Tests fur blood donors are done at a Hlood Transfusion Service laboratory in the SGH The spo< tal laboratory » for the confirmatory West em Blot test now dune overseas is being set up at the SGH’s Pathology De partment An Aids Advisory Com mittee spokesman expects the laboratory to lie operational before the end * of the year The Western Blot test is essentially used to double check the pusltive results yielded by the Elisa test This further test is | necessary in case the Elisa test results may be false.

The plan is subject to fine tuning and changes It contains a budget but no details are available. Meanwhile, a ministry statement issued last week said that the three confirmed carriers of the virus identified in April are clinically well The Western Biot test. results for another IS sus I peeled carriers are still not available.

=See also=
 * Archive of "Three in S’pore found with Aids-linked virus", The Straits Times, 10 April 1985
 * Archive of "Aids virus: Doctor who 'found it'", The Sunday Times, 14 April 1985
 * Archive of "A chance to be ahead in medicine", The Singapore Monitor, 16 April 1985
 * Archive of "Aids on ‘must report’ list", The Straits Times, 17 April 1985
 * Archive of "Undergrads to be taught about Aids", The Straits Times, 21 April 1885
 * Archive of "16 more may be carriers of Aids virus", The Straits Times, 30 April 1985
 * Archive of "Aids doctor thanks mum", The Straits Times, 12 May 1985
 * Archive of "Special lab to do Aids tests soon", The Straits Times, 18 May 1985
 * Archive of "Man with Aids related virus in hospital", The Straits Times, 21 July 1985
 * Archive of "Aids carrier leaves hospital", The Straits Times, 28 July 1985
 * Archive of "Ministry steps up Aids drive", The Straits Times, 5 September 1985
 * Archive of "Singapore ‘first in the world’ to have 100 % screening of donor blood", The Straits Times, 11 September 1985
 * Archive of "S’pore-Stanford research tie-up bid", The Straits Times, 10 October 1985
 * Archive of "Aids: 20,000 cleared", The Straits Times, 29 November 1985
 * Archive of "200 turn up for first public medical convention", The Straits Times, 28 April 1986
 * Archive of "Screening tests likely to uncover more Aids carriers", The Straits Times, 1 May 1986
 * Archive of "100 people could be Aids carriers here: Expert", The Straits Times, 3 August 1986
 * Archive of "Aids claims first victim here", The Straits Times, 11 April 1987
 * Archive of "Fear of Aids pushes up condom sales", The Straits Times, 19 April 1987
 * Archive of "Govt dental clinics phasing out boiling", The Straits Times, 1 October 1987
 * Earliest cases of HIV/AIDS in Singapore
 * HIV/AIDS in Singapore's LGBT community
 * Paddy Chew
 * Avin Tan
 * Ajmal Khan
 * Calvin Tan
 * Adrian Tyler

=References=
 * Kong Sook Chin, "Talks on plan to deal with Aids", The Straits Times, 6 August 1985[].

=Acknowledgements=

This article was archived by Roy Tan.