Every 10 November, the world celebrates World Science Day. Over the years, science has proven to be a force for change. Whether or not it facilitates peace and development is an active decision that people, especially those at the top of society, must make. The 2020 theme of World Science Day exemplifies the optimal use of science with the line “Science for and with Society”.
Category: Opinion
[OPINION] COVID-19: Protecting Our Children – Dr Amar Singh
While serious illness and deaths due to COVID-19 is uncommon among children, when the outbreak is very large, as occurring now, some children will sadly succumb. We need to be concerned for those children who are immunocompromised, malnourished, in poverty and have chronic disease.
[MEDIA RELEASE] MBIOSymposium: A Global Pandemic 2020 Wrap Up
This year, Malaysian Bioscience Scholars (MBIOS) held its annual flagship event called MBIOSymposium: A Global Pandemic. Spanning two days, a line-up of diverse speakers was invited to touch on different aspects and fields affected by the recent COVID-19 outbreak, not confined to bioscience-related topics.
[MEDIA RELEASE] World Suicide Prevention Day: Decriminalise Suicide and Destigmatise Mental Health – MHC
Today is World Suicide Prevention Day, and the Malaysian Health Coalition urges the government to decriminalise suicide in Malaysia. This is an important step toward destigmatising mental health and improving the health of the Rakyat. This decision will bring Malaysia in line with international norms.
[OPINION] Beirut Explosion: Ammonium Nitrate is Innocent Until Proven Guilty
Ammonium nitrate (AN) has become the prime focus recently as it has been alleged to be the cause of the deadly explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. AN has also been reported to be engendering explosion in numerous cases such as in Oppau (1921), Texas (1947, 2013) and Tianjin (2015). But was AN the only culprit here?
[OPINION] Connecting experts in the interest of science
As the world grapples with COVID-19, healthcare professionals are working round the clock to keep COVID-19 patients alive, medical scientists are racing to develop treatments and vaccines, epidemiologists are modelling infection rates to predict how the virus will continue to spread, and science journalists are disseminating news while battling the spread of misinformation.
[OPINION] Microplastic Pollution and Health
Microplastics, broadly defined < 5 mm, are plastic particles of different shape, size and polymer composition. Recently, there has been extensive media coverage on microplastic pollution including news release from the World Health Organization on the potential environmental health threat from microplastics. Single-use plastics and inappropriate plastic waste management are the primary reasons for pollution.
[OPINION] Have we found the panacea to COVID-19 with remdesivir, an old but newly packaged drug?
As of 12 May 2020, 4,425,094 people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 with deaths reaching 297,723.Doctors are desperately looking for an effective drug, and there have been a number of candidates on trial; one of them, remdesivir, is probably the most exciting of all. This is the drug developed for the Ebola epidemic in 2015, but it was found to be less effective in clinical trials than in in vitro studies. Is remdesivir the panacea for COVID-19?
[OPINION] Eurocentric Science: Why a Diverse Scientific Workforce is Needed
Science is often viewed as the bastion of rationale and objectivity. True meritocracy is therefore expected from a sector that advocates for evidence over tradition. Despite this, the existing scientific workforce is yet to be representative of the increasingly diverse society in the Western world.
[OPINION] Safety Profile and Specifics of the School Reopening Guidelines Need Strengthening – Consultant Paediatricians
This week the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE) released a guideline and standard operating procedure (SOP) regarding school management and measures to control the spread of COVID-19. The guidelines have been endorsed by the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) and the National Security Council (MKN). This guideline covers all schools under MOE as well as the private educational institutions registered with MOE.
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