Singapore officially launches new Communicable Diseases Agency for pandemic preparedness

“Our collaborative approach also has to include all-of-society stakeholders as they are crucial in developing solutions, and implementing them in our community,” he said, adding that these include private organisations, academic institutions and civil society.

Beyond Singapore, CDA has also signed memorandums of understanding with counterparts in China, Germany, Hong Kong, South Korea and the United Kingdom to collaborate in areas such as surveillance, preparedness and capacity building, he said.

Mr Pream Raj, acting director of the Contact and Environment Diseases, Border and Travel Health Division at CDA, said Singapore’s status as a global travel hub means there is a risk of disease importation and spread.

“So we always need to be nimble enough to respond accordingly, depending on the risk assessments that we have.”