S'pore experts on the hunt for diseases that can spread from animals to humans

NParks calling for research proposals on fortifying S'pore against zoonotic disease outbreaks

- Angelica Ang

The bird, barely the size of a human palm, struggled in the mesh net hanging between two wooden poles on Pulau Ubin, the biodiversity haven located off Singapore's eastern coast.

The snare had been installed at dawn on Dec 5, 2024 - at the height of the migratory season, when birds from the far north fly south to escape the winter chill.

It took just 45 minutes before the black-browed reed warbler was caught. A masked, bespectacled man approached the struggling ball of feathers, untangled it and slipped it into a cloth bag.

But Dr Gabriel Low is no poacher. The wildlife management researcher at the National Parks Board (NParks) is a "hunter" of a different kind, on the prowl for disease-causing pathogens in animal populations that could pose a risk to people in Singapore.

After samples are taken from the bird, Dr Low releases it back into the wild.

The notion of how human well-being is intimately intertwined with environmental health is gaining traction globally, with scientists and the World Health Organisation (WHO) urging governments to take greater consideration of the nexus between the two.

Singapore, too, is doing more on this front.

On Jan 3, NParks launched a call for research proposals that will look into how the nation can be fortified against future outbreaks of zoonotic diseases - which can spread from animals to humans.

The grant call, which will be open until March 28, is part of a $15 million biosurveillance research programme announced in 2024.

Biosurveillance refers to efforts to monitor the environment for pathogens, or disease-causing agents, such as bacteria and viruses.