China’s YJ-18 missile reimagined to strike US naval logistics – Asia Times
China’s opening of the YJ-18C boat weapon highlights a shift in its defense strategy toward low, covert weapons designed to undermine US naval strength by attacking logistics rather than pursuing significant fleet engagements.
According to an evaluation by a Chinese martial journal, the South China Morning Post (SCMP ) reported this month that China’s government is considering repurposing its recently unveiled YJ-18C land-attack sail missile into a cost-effective anti-ship tool aimed at exploiting US maritime transportation flaws in a high-intensity issue.
The hypersonic YJ-18C is designed to compete for secrecy, range, and ease of large generation, making it suitable for attrition warfare as opposed to high-end fleet engagements.
The missile could serve as a” transport ship killer,” according to the magazine Shipborne Weapons Defense Review, which is owned by China State Shipbuilding Corporation ( CSSC ). It could target lightly defended US supply and transport vessels rather than heavily guarded carrier strike groups.
The YJ-18C is characterized as having a concept similar to the US Navy’s AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile ( LRASM), but it is designed for flexible launch from submarines, surface ships, and potentially civilian platforms. It has a cruising speed of about Mach 0 and an estimated range of more than 1, 000 kilometers.
Given concerns raised by US analysts about the aging sealift fleets, declining manufacturing capability, and the risk of sea logistics in a protracted US-China conflict, like capabilities, it claimed, could have a proper impact.
In a Martial Times article from October 2025, Michael Bohnert points out that weapon battle is difficult for weather defenses to detect and intercept because of its radar blind spots and reaction-time limitations.
Their advice systems, according to Bohnert, provide great accuracy and versatile routing with both fixed and mobile goals. He adds that cruise missiles can be produced and used in large numbers, enabling saturation attacks that overwhelm defenses, compared to more expensive systems ( i .e., hypersonic missiles such as the YJ-21 ). Additionally, Blumenert points out that their versatility makes them a consistent and adaptable field threat despite their ability to launch from air, sea, and property.
In an October 2025 essay for The Strategist, David Axe mentions that low cruise missiles could be crucial in a Pacific battle because they address the main issue of scale: maintaining firepower over time. In addition, in an October 2025 article, David Axe mentions that hypersonic cruise missiles have the advantage of costing less than other types.
Axe contends that low-cost, mass-produced cruise missiles are durable, smart, and appropriate enough to inflict significant damage, allowing forces to overwhelm fleets, air bases, supply lines, and industry through large volume more than beautiful precision.
Axe emphasizes that geography favors saturation attacks, where launching thousands of low-cost missiles and drones can cripple an invasion or intervention force more quickly than expensive “boutique” weapons can be replaced, while arguing that quantity, not sophistication, becomes the key advantage.
Translating that logic into battlefield advantage for China depends on both the number of missiles and how unpredictable and widely they can be delivered.
In terms of the tactical and operational ramifications of firing the YJ-18C from concealed containerized launchers, Asia Times noted in December 2025 that containerized launchers concealed on merchant ships like the Zhongda 79 maximize surprise, ambiguity, and saturation by maximizing their potential for surprise, ambiguity, and saturation.
Zhongda 79 is a prototype Chinese container ship that has been built as a modular “arsenal ship” and incorporates concealed containerized vertical launch missile cells, which are said to have up to 60 missiles.
In a tactical sense, missiles hidden among regular cargo can be launched without much delay, causing delays in enemy detection, targeting, and defensive timings. This capability makes it possible to launch impulsively first-salvo or multi-axis attacks that strain air and missile defenses proportionately to the number of launch cells deployed.
Operationally, weaponized merchant ships facilitate distributed lethality by spreading strike force across numerous civilian hulls, increasing survivorship, and putting adversaries at risk of making difficult escalation decisions about whether to treat commercial traffic as hostile.
This emphasis on preventing sustainability and decision-making as opposed to erasing front-line combatants is in line with China’s more expansive doctrine of systems-destruction warfare.
Their effectiveness depends on the level of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance ( ISR ), and they are best suited for initial-phase operations rather than sustained exchanges.
In a March 2023 RAND report, Mark Cozad and other authors mention that China views contemporary conflict as a battle between interconnected operational systems rather than individual platforms or forces, placing that capability in a larger strategic picture.
Cozad and others note that the People’s Liberation Army ( PLA ) aims to paralyze an adversary by disrupting crucial nodes like command and control, ISR, logistics, information networks, and decision-making, causing the enemy system to collapse even if many units remain intact.
They point out that China wants asymmetric, system-wide effects that impair the opponent’s capacity to fight together as a whole, particularly when it fights the US military in a Taiwan emergency.
By targeting the connective tissue that allows an adversary’s force to function rather than its most heavily defended platforms, the YJ-18C perfectly fits into China’s systems-destruction warfare.
The YJ-18C is designed to disrupt logistics ships, sealift, replenishment nodes, and rear-area maritime traffic, which are essential components of US operational endurance, rather than focusing on carrier kills. Its secretive, long-range, long-range, and mass-producibility help it withstand saturation attacks that simultaneously strain sensors, command-and-control, and defensive missile inventories.
The YJ-18C undermines the US naval system’s ability to operate coherently, causing disproportionate effects without decisive battles, and forbids fleet dispersal.
China may have production issues if it produces enough missiles to host a US-US conflict over Taiwan.
According to a report from the Heritage Foundation from January 2026, China can produce cruise missiles at large, but mass production faces significant structural challenges. It highlights flaws in central, non-redundant production and integration facilities, particularly those that deal with guidance systems, warhead assembly, and energetic materials, which are difficult to disperse or quickly reconstitute if disturbed.
Additionally, the report makes note of China’s reliance on highly developed semiconductors, digital logistics networks, and imported or tightly concentrated inputs, which results in exploitable bottlenecks.
Additionally, it points out that effective military-civil fusion and bureaucratic coordination are important factors for surge production, which could decline under sustained attack or disruption, limiting long-term output.
These limitations point to the possibility that China’s cruise-missile-focused strategy favors scale and attrition, but that if the conflict turns into a prolonged industrial conflict rather than a brief, systems-shock campaign, it may prove vulnerable.
Together, the YJ-18C demonstrates how China is betting on cheap, stealthy, and flexible cruise missiles to use systems-destructive combat against US logistics and endurance, even though labor bottlenecks may limit how well that strategy can be used in a protracted conflict.
ST Engineering’s AirFish water-skimming craft to operate on Singapore-Batam ferry route
ST Engineering made an announcement on Tuesday ( Feb 3 ) with a regional ferry operator that will see its AirFish Voyager wing-in-ground craft, which skims across the surface of water, plying a ferry route between Singapore and Batam.
According to data on the website of ST Engineering, the AirFish can sail three times as fast as existing sea craft thanks to aero forces and air pressure.
It doesn’t need any getting or take-off system and can accommodate up to 10 people, including the team. In Singapore, it is already being assembled.
The local boat operator will rent an AirFish and run it on a boat route between Singapore and the Indonesian island in accordance with the agreement between ST Engineering AirX, a cooperative venture of ST Engineering’s business aerospace business.
According to ST Engineering, activities are anticipated to start in the second quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory certifications.
Additionally, it added, ST Engineering AirX and BatamFast may look into potential opportunities to develop activities throughout Southeast Asia.
Another agreement was reached with Wings Over Water Ferries ( WOW), which will start in late 2026 and bring four AirFish vessels to India for commercial use.  ,
According to ST Engineering, course approvals are required before the start of operations can begin.
” WOW’s first deployment strategy may focus on high-demand southern states and areas with strong potential for travel, commuter, and local connectivity,” said ST Engineering.
For the AirFish art, ST Engineering AirX will collaborate with WOW to “explore establishing regional council, manufacturing, training, and repair features.”
The new partnerships will aid in the commercialization of the ship and “bolster its position as a next-generation high-speed accessibility solution for coastline and local transport,” according to ST Engineering.
Penang launches shared lab for IC design validation, onboards second batch of tech collaborators
- PDD@5KM fosters co-working and the development of skills.
- Second shipment of tech collaborators was brought on to develop IC design capabilities
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With the official opening of its Shared Lab for IC Design Validation &, Characterization, along with the onboarding of its second batch of technology collaborators, Penang has accomplished a significant milestone under the Penang Silicon Design @5KM ( PSD@5KM ) initiative. The development strengthens Malaysia’s integrated circuit ( IC ) design ecosystem and provides Penang-based IC design firms with world-class infrastructure and expertise.
Since PSD@5KM ‘s release in December 2024, the program has been led by InvestPenang and incorporates system, skill development, funding facilitation, and strategic partnerships.
Post-silicon verification and characterization is a purpose-built facility that gives IC design firms access to cutting-edge equipment, specialist support, and a creative electrostatic discharge environment. In line with InvestPenang’s commitment to shared facilities and ecosystem-wide acceleration, it is available to both incubators in the Silicon Design &, Incubation Space and to IC design firms across Penang.
Next batch of tech collaborators from PSD@5KM , including X-FAB Sarawak, Contacthings, and ElectroRent, were formalized through Memoranda of Conceptions during the occasion. With these additions, PSD@5KM now has 18 systems collaborators, expanding capabilities across innovative design services, various casting process nodes, and strong post-silicon validation infrastructure. Keysight and MIMOS were likewise confirmed as vital partners for the Shared Lab, providing crucial expertise and resources to defend technical quality, along with Contacthings and ElectroRent.
PSD@5KM ‘s creation into a complete end-to-end Circuit style habitat, providing smooth pathways from architecture to validation and commercialization, is marked by the opening of the Shared Lab and the onboarding of fresh collaborators. The program enables Circuit design startups to obtain shared high-value infrastructure, shorten time-to-market, and level with confidence by bridging crucial gaps in Malaysia’s semiconductor value chain.
Part of the Silicon Design &, Incubation Space is being converted into composite co-working spaces to further encourage engagement, providing adaptable work environments for early-stage Circuit pattern companies and prospective entrepreneurs.
Chow Kon Yeow, the country’s chief minister, said:” As we move forward, let us do so with ambition, collaboration, and conviction to shape both Penang’s future and the world’s semiconductor design future.” We can realize our goal of producing Penang’s first generation of” Made by Malaysia” chips through creative design, development, and production.
Penang has grown its IC design companies from 25 to more than 50 since PSD@5KM ‘s launch, making it the state’s fastest-growing IC design hub in Malaysia. In addition, the state has created over 9, 500 high-value jobs in the Semiconductor Design and Development sector. Over 400 people have been trained in crucial IC design skills through the Penang Chip Design Academy, including Arm on Demand training and the IC Mastery Programme for recent graduates.  ,
Notably, 96 % of IC Mastery Programme graduates are currently employed in the IC design sector. Through businesses like SkyeChip and Silicon X, Penang-based engineers have also created the first FPGA chip for Malaysia, as well as the most advanced HBM3E and Network-on-Chip technologies.
In addition to sustaining this momentum, PSD@5KM continues to concentrate on nurturing early-stage startups, accelerating their growth over the next three to five years, developing incubation facilities, facilitating funding, and exploring global business opportunities. Penang is advancing Malaysia’s National Semiconductor Strategy through these efforts, strengthening its position as a hub for innovation, talent, and high-value technology, and moving the country further up the global semiconductor value chain.
UOB prices A$2bn five-year floating rate and fixed notes | FinanceAsia
A total of A$ 2 billion ($ 1.39 billion ) in senior unsecured notes has been priced by Singapore’s United Overseas Bank ( UOB ) in two tranches.
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Bangladesh’s economic difficulties continue amid political instability | FinanceAsia
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According to end-of-2025 data, Bangladesh’s sector is still struggling due to gradual trade rise, higher prices, stagnant expense, and the absence of any positive changes in employment growth.
There are tailwinds, though. The change rate is secure, and the country’s payment flows is encouraging.
According to analysts, the East Asian nation’s economy may turn around when a new government is elected through February’s national elections. Buyers are almost always obstructed by social confusion.
The World Bank predicted on January 15 that Bangladesh’s economic growth would reach 4.6 % by the end of the current fiscal year, cutting off the forecast from last June by 0.3 percent factors due to persistent inflation, falling exports, and slow investment.
The most recent World Bank projection matches those made by other development partners, including the Asian Development Bank ( ADB), which also cited sluggish investment, slower export growth, and political uncertainty.
According to a report from the World Bank, inflation has remained above target, monetary policy has been small, and credit demand has decreased as a result of sluggish business activity and increased borrowing costs.
The review also noted that since mid-2020, the exchange rate has stabilized, largely as a result of May’s implementation of a more flexible currency system.
According to the World Bank report,” a projected increase in revenue collection driven by reforms is anticipated in Bangladesh to offset an increase in consumption following the formation of a new government.”
Imports of clothing are still declining.
According to data, clothes export growth has continued to decline since June 2025. Exports only increased marginally by 0.89 % to$ 38.8 billion in the recently concluded calendar year, compared to 7.23 % YoY growth in 2024 to$ 38.8 billion.
Bangladesh’s main source of foreign dollar income is clothing. The decline in import sales of ready-made clothing is attributed to a number of external and internal factors. A number of negative shocks have affected trade trends for 2025: tax restrictions and buy freezes from important markets, particularly the US, have added pressure and uncertainty.
According to Mohiuddin Rubel, a former director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association ( BGMEA ), “political instability and regime change have weakened business confidence and disrupted normal trade flows.”
Production and sales have been hampered by labor upheaval, including roadblockades and factory closures, according to him. For the first time in history, the customs property has been completely shut down, an unusual development.
Export earnings were directly impacted by a significant airport cargo fire last month, which destroyed approximately$ 1 billion worth of goods. The removal of trade incentives and substantial domestic inflation have also caused higher production costs and increased competition, making it more difficult for Bangladeshi exporters to maintain price advantages.
According to Rubel,” Up, these factors slowed export growth in 2025, which is still below the previous year’s trajectory.”
The imbalance in the current bill grows
The current account deficit has grown in response to the low trade progress, while imports have increased substantially in recent months.
The recent fiscal year account gap, according to key bank data between July and November, increased by about$ 129 million from the same time last fiscal year, to$ 696 million.
According to data, during the time, crude oil import increased by 37 %, refined oil import increased by 14 %, and capital machinery import increased by nearly 10 %, which resulted in a 37 % increase in the current account deficit.
Inflation is rising, funding is stagnant.
Over the past year, both international and private investment in Bangladesh has been slow as investors have pursued a “wait and see” strategy in light of political uncertainty.
At a press conference titled” State of the Bangladesh economy in FY 2025-26: Multidimensional Risks at an Electoral Crossroads,” the Dhaka-based Center for Policy Dialogue ( CPD ) made comments about the country’s sluggish investment environment on January 10.
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Man who allegedly posed as police officer and raped maid goes on trial
A man was charged with raping a migrant domestic worker after luring her away from a group of her friends by pretending to be a police officer on Tuesday ( Feb 3 ) in Singapore.
At the time, Indonesian woman Sharveen Chetty worked for SBS Transit, a transportation company.
Chetty is bringing up two murder counts and one infidelity matter.
The victim, next 35, was with her buddies and partner at a lawn piece close to Little India MRT Station, according to the prosecution’s case, on July 11, 2022.
According to Deputy Public Prosecution Marcus Foo, Mark Chia, and Gurmesh Singh, Chetty was on guard at the time and saw the group of foreign staff.
Chetty allegedly used his body-worn cameras, which he had been given for his work with SBS Transit, to behave like he was scanning their work permits while asking for identification documents and posing as a police officer.
According to the trial, he demanded the victim’s recognition and took her Ministry of Manpower in-principle acceptance letter, as well as her telephone.
Chetty told the group to be and to observe the victim, according to the statement.
When the woman resisted, he allegedly threatened to harm her and her friends by taking her to some trees and kissing her.
Before raping her, he allegedly forced her to have intercourse with him.
When the woman returned to her friends, she explained Chetty’s identity to them as a false officer. The actual officers were therefore dispatched.
The person’s thigh was swab-free, and Chetty’s DNA was discovered on areas of her underpants.
The test is advancing. Mr. Mohamed Baiross from IRB Law represents Chetty.
He could be imprisoned for up to 20 times, given a great, or be caned.
He may face jail time, fines, or both for personating a common servant.
Trump’s dollar downer buoying Xi’s global yuan ambitions – Asia Times
China is putting forth more of its long-term efforts to convert the renminbi into a true global currency, and new Washingtonian indications are strengthening Beijing’s resolve.
Chinese politicians have been quietly working for years to develop the dollar’s influence in industry, finance, and reserves. Capital controls, local objectives, and the overarching need for stability have all shaped progress, but it has been constrained.  ,
The outside environment has changed, though. Confidence in the economy’s unquestionable dominance is no longer a myth, and that change has geopolitical significance.
Following the US and its allies ‘ invasion of Ukraine, a significant catalyst for Beijing’s considering occurred and blocked access to components of the world’s economic system.  ,
The training for China was profound. Financial integration improves performance but also increases contact. Challenges on a program that is ultimately controlled abroad extend much beyond economics.
In a statement Xi Jinping delivered in 2024 that was made public over the weekend, this perspective came out with strange clarity.  ,
Instead of concentrating solely on financial security or development goals, Xi placed forex strength at the center of national power. He described it in terms of its use abroad, reach for business settlements, effect on foreign exchange markets, and reserve status.
It’s unusual to use such strong language. Although China has long encouraged greater chinese usage, the corporate goal has frequently been ignored. Much of that misunderstanding was eliminated by the conversation. It viewed economic impact as a fundamental pillar of national strength along with industrial and technological prowess.
The letter’s release date is noteworthy. It comes as US language regarding the money has become less orthodox.  ,
Donald Trump has asserted on numerous occasions that a weaker franc supports local production competitiveness. His recent remarks in support of the economy’s decrease gave the impression that money strength is no longer viewed as a policy anchor.
This is more important to China than any single plan news. Comparative confidence plays a major role in forex internationalization.  ,
The money doesn’t even need to be replaced for yuan to expand. In some circumstances, it just needs to become more valuable, more popular, and less risky.
Beijing appears to be presently laying the foundation. The Women’s Republic’s products industry has been settled in yuan for about a decade, reversing its previous slowdown and returning to levels that were last seen almost ten years ago.  ,
Regional repayment arrangements, energy purchases, and bilateral trade contracts all have a role. Parallel network has been constructed with little effort to minimize reliance on system with a dollar in mind.
Chinese officials are also careful, despite this. Capital controls are still in position, and the central bank continues to give regularity a higher priority. Balance is a necessity, not a requirement on ambition. Trust is undermined by fluctuation, which is essential for any money that wants to be widely used.
A changing world order is the broader perspective. Governments are reevaluating where threats lie and how to use leverage, economic systems are increasingly viewed through the lens of security, and business is becoming more political. Money-related dependent has a new significance in this context.
How this time came to be, ironically, is how it happened. Politics in the US that are centered on economic nationalism may be reducing the very supremacy they want to defend. Washington gives off the impression that it is willing to accept a weaker dollars, allowing rivals to experiment with alternatives, even if unknowingly.
China needs to act fast to reap the rewards. Day is at its best when it works. Behavior is significantly altered by each progressive increase in chinese usage and each extra trade settled outside the buck. These minor swings accumulate over time.
The end result is a continuous rebalancing rather than a immediate overthrow of the current system. a universe where the money is still seen as northern but less distinct.  ,
This is the starting Beijing is most likely to witness, it seems very good. A time of acceleration rather than a minute of fracture.
Fact-finding probe into suicide of ‘over-worked’ teacher
PUBLISHED: 3 Feb 2026 at 16: 21
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After her sweetheart claimed she was overburdened by the demands her superiors put on her at work, a fact-finding investigation was launched into the death of a 40-year-old English-language professor at a university in Chiang Mai state next fortnight.
According to Obec secretary-general Phichet Phophakdee on Tuesday, the Office of the Basic Education Commission would conduct an in-depth investigation into the circumstances surrounding Sarinya Tayot’s suicide, which would be known as Kru Por.
The standard move came after her sweetheart, who is a police agent, posted a picture on Facebook on Monday.
On January 26, Kru Por committed murder. Ton and Ton both went to work in the morning, according to Ton, who explained to TV Channel 3 that the day began as a normal working time. He started to worry about 8o’clock because she was usually at home well before that and he was unable to reach her.  ,
He went to work at Sankamphaeng School, according to Ton. Around 9 a.m., the night team informed him that she had left the school, but she had never been seen since. Ton claimed that he was in a panic and searched for her all day.
Eventually, her vehicle was discovered close to a public garden in the San Sai district. Ton claimed that Kru Por was dying inside her smog-filled car.
Ton claimed in his Facebook post that Kru Por was a happy, energetic, and well-loved woman and that they had been dating for more than ten years. She did not experience any mental condition or depression.
The only issue he learned roughly from her was” pressure from financial and accounting job she was given at the school,” he claimed.
The university director called her in for a conference before she fled and injured herself, Ton wrote in the article.
I may provide verification that I have.” I urge those working in the Thai educational program to examine the circumstances. Would not keep quiet as if nothing had occurred. Do not allow strong persons to sabotage lower-ranking leaders and make them do whatever they want.
Mr. Phichet stated that the fact-finding commission may gather data from all interested parties, ascertain the circumstances surrounding her death, and submit a report to Obec as soon as possible.  ,
He expressed his condolences to the family of the teacher, and he pledged to make sure justice, accountability, and a thoughtful comment for all parties involved.
Obec used various strategies to reduce teachers ‘ tasks and boost morale, he said, and was always concerned for the well-being of professors and other educational staff.  ,
Another female instructor committed suicide at her house in Buri Ram in June last year, leaving a statement claiming she was overwhelmed by the burden from an overabundance of extracurricular work, which included budgeting and managing the school’s funds.
Opinion: The life of instructors are important.
Police urge gold shops in ‘red zones’ to boost security
In Bangkok, there are about 100 stores in high-risk places where the government is at risk.
PUBLISHED: 3 Feb 2026 at 16: 20
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Around 100 of Bangkok’s estimated 1, 000 golden shops are robbery-prone, according to authorities, and they advise the owners to increase protection for the safety of the public and tourists.
Users of shops in high-crime “red areas” may consider hiring trained security guards, installing safety bars, and making sure their insurance policy is enough, according to Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelabut, a deputy federal police chief.
He claimed that” this topic has an effect on the safety of people, including visitors,” and that it has an impact on both the economy and security.
He urged silver store owners to cooperate, noting that some had previously disregarded safety recommendations from police. Technicians who fail to improve security may be paid more, he said, and this should be done by insurance companies.
On Tuesday, Pol Gen Thatchai made the comments at a conference about safety procedures for the golden commerce company at Bangkok’s Phra Khanong police place.
After a robbery at a golden store in a shopping mall on Sukhumvit Soi 50 last Friday in the Khlong Toey city of Bangkok, the group discussed tougher protection measures.
The criminal is still at large and has taken about 15 million baht worth of gold ornaments and money. In response to the rising prices, there have been more and more metal store attacks recently.
The local price for gold bars has increased by 56 % over the past 12 months, with prices on February 3 quoted at 73, 300 baht per baht-weight ( 15.2 % ).
Officers need more resources to look into investigations and identify suspects in silver robberies within one to two days at the most, according to Pol Gen Thatchai.
He claimed that the Royal Thai Police Office directed channels nationwide to promote gold shop owners in their areas to embrace stricter security measures.
Some silver shops are small, newly opened stores that are located in shopping centers, and crime there poses a threat to public safety because of the safety of the customers.
A school producer in the Muang city of Lop Buri on January 9, 2020, robbed a golden store and shot dead three people, including a young child, and injured four others.
Nipah virus: Singapore requires daily temperature checks for new migrant workers who travelled to West Bengal
MORE VIGILITY BY MEDICAL Services
Existing medical arrangements for migrant employees who are already residing in Singapore are still in place through MOM’s primary care physician centers, according to a department spokesperson.
Primary care providers should be more vigilant for migrant workers who have recently traveled to West Bengal or own” Nipah-like” signs.
Migrant staff would also be instructed to use good personal hygiene habits, such as hand washing and wearing a mask when they are restless, according to MOM’s director.
In light of the circumstances of the Nipah virus in India, MOM-appointed major maintenance plan anchor users stated to CNA that they are taking measures to raise attention.
St. Andrew’s Mission Hospital serves as the designated anchor for a region with more than 100 000 migrant workers.
All patients are questioned about recent travel to Bangladesh or West Bengal, according to a St. Andrew’s Migrant Worker Medical Center spokesperson.
Patients who exhibit flu-like symptoms will be evaluated for increased risk factors for Nipah virus infection, including frequent contact with confirmed cases or consumption of raw date palm sap.
According to the spokesperson, St. Andrew’s Migrant Worker Medical Centre has not yet seen any suspected cases.
There are established workflows to isolate the patients, manage and refer them to the CDA and facilitate their transfer to the designated emergency departments, added the spokesperson.
Fullerton Health, a different anchor operator, is closely monitoring the situation and working in accordance with national advisories.
The group’s doctors have been informed about the clinical characteristics of the Nipah virus and the importance of taking relevant travel and exposure histories during consultations, according to Dr. Marcus Lee, the medical director of clinical quality and governance.
According to him, Fullerton Health is also providing pertinent advice to corporate clients and stakeholders to support early detection and monitoring of workplace health.
Dr. Lee claimed that screening and segregation protocols for patients with fever or respiratory symptoms are already standard clinic procedures in migrant worker dormitories.
Additional screening questions are being incorporated as a” step-up precautionary measure” to evaluate recent travel and relevant exposure history within the past 14 days, he said, in accordance with national guidance.
We continue to monitor the situation closely as part of Singapore’s wider public health surveillance framework, even though there are no reported cases of ( Nipah virus ) in Singapore right now and there is no indication of sustained community transmission there.
Additionally, a spokesperson for MOM stated that advisories have been distributed to migrant workers in their native tongues through the FWMOMCare app, as well as to employers.
In addition to providing prompt reporting and isolation before the patients are transported to a medical facility, dormitory operators are also provided with tips on handling suspected cases of Nipah virus.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, migrants ‘ dormitories turned into virus hotspots, with tens of thousands of workers living in reportedly cramped conditions.
Since then, dormitory standards have been raised, including more stringent requirements for isolation facilities.