House byline

Farah Salleh

Health correspondent

Farah Salleh is a house byline for InfoHandle’s Health desk.

20 stories

Youth mental health clinic waiting area with coloured chairs and a reception counter, soft daylight, no logos or readable text

Youth Psychiatric Intake Rules Enter Four-Week Public Feedback Window

MOH will consult the public on parental consent for youth mental health care as Ong Ye Kung warns stigma and record fears still block early treatment.

Farah Salleh Oct 10, 2026Singapore

Stack of white N95 respirator masks on a clinic counter beside a wall-mounted air quality poster with numbers blurred unreadable, fluorescent light, no logos or readable text

Health

Haze Task Force Readies N95 Distribution as 24-Hour PSI Nears Very Unhealthy Band

The Haze Task Force said on 9 October it will distribute N95 masks to vulnerable residents if the 24-hour PSI exceeds 200, while MOE will consider school closures only when forecasts top 300.

Farah Salleh Oct 9, 2026Singapore

Health

GPs Report More Haze-Linked Visits as Central PSI Stays Unhealthy

Central Singapore’s 24-hour PSI breached 100 on Thursday evening as doctors reported more patients with cough and irritated eyes.

Farah Salleh Oct 8, 2026Singapore

Hazy skyline viewed from a public housing corridor with potted plants, muted sunlight, distant blocks fading in smog, no people or readable signs

Health

MOH Activates Haze Surge Beds as Parliament Reviews Respiratory Readiness

MOH told Parliament public hospitals can activate surge beds and extra clinical teams if haze pushes respiratory visits higher, advising vulnerable groups to cut outdoor exertion when 24-hour PSI is unhealthy.

Farah Salleh Oct 7, 2026Singapore

Modern low-rise care home courtyard with benches and potted plants, wheelchair ramp, overcast daylight, no people or readable signage

Health

Vanguard Opens Hougang Mental Health Nursing and Rehab Homes Under MOH Operator

MOH-backed operator Vanguard Healthcare opened nursing and rehabilitation homes in Hougang for mental health patients, with 151 care-home residents and 14 compass clients already admitted.

Farah Salleh Oct 6, 2026Singapore

NEA officer in uniform inspecting a rooftop gutter with a flashlight, HDB blocks in the background, overcast morning, no readable badges or text

Health

Surveillance Week 39 Logged 49 Dengue Infections as National Curve Softens From August Highs

NEA counted 49 dengue cases in epidemiological week 39, down from 82 the prior week, even as nine clusters remain on the agency’s watchlist.

Farah Salleh Oct 4, 2026Singapore

Nurse preparation tray with sealed vaccine vials and cotton swabs on stainless counter, no patient faces or readable labels

Health

Communicable Diseases Agency Tells Seniors They Can Take Southern Hemisphere Flu Jab While Waiting

MOH and the Communicable Diseases Agency say 2026–27 northern hemisphere flu vaccines will arrive in early to mid-October, about two weeks late, while clinic visits climb.

Farah Salleh Oct 4, 2026Singapore

HDB void deck with open drain grate and mosquito breeding inspection stickers on a pillar, afternoon shade, no logos or readable text

Health

NEA Lists 87 Cases at Lakeside Ho Ching Cluster as Dengue Week 38 Hits 82

NEA’s red-alert cluster around Ho Ching and Kang Ching roads has logged 87 cases since it formed, while national week-38 infections rose to 82.

Farah Salleh Oct 3, 2026Singapore

Woodlands Checkpoint cargo inspection bay with scanned freight containers, officers in uniform silhouettes beside an X-ray scanner, harsh fluorescent lighting, concrete floor marks, no readable badges or text

Health

HSA Lands First Etomidate Vape Pod Sentencing After 208 Pods Hidden in Detergent Boxes

A man received three years' jail and five strokes of the cane in the first etomidate vape pod import sentencing under tightened vaporiser laws after HSA seized 208 pods hidden in detergent boxes at Woodlands Checkpoint.

Farah Salleh Oct 2, 2026Singapore

Retail pharmacy counter with pharmacist in white coat handing a paper bag to a customer, shelves of boxed medicine blurred behind, bright store lighting, no readable labels

Health

MOH Sends Antiviral Stock to 120 Guardian Outlets After Polyclinic Wait Times Stretch

The Ministry of Health shipped oseltamivir packs to 120 Guardian pharmacies after polyclinic triage waits for influenza-like illness exceeded 90 minutes at three regional clusters.

Farah Salleh Oct 1, 2026Singapore

NEA inspection sticker on a green refuse bin beside an HDB common corridor, overcast afternoon, potted plants in background, no people or readable text

Health

NEA Keeps Red Alert on Tah Ching and Yuan Ching Cluster as October Peak Season Opens

Vector control stays on red alert around Tah Ching and Yuan Ching roads as weekly case counts rise again during the traditional peak season.

Farah Salleh Sep 30, 2026Singapore

Primary school classroom with air purifier unit beside desks, curtains drawn against hazy daylight, fluorescent ceiling lights, empty chairs, no people, no logos or readable text

Health

MOE Keeps Schools Open as Haze Task Force Orders Indoor Exam Rooms With Purifiers

With 24-hour PSI unhealthy in all five regions on 29 September, the Haze Task Force kept schools open while requiring exam candidates to sit in air-conditioned rooms with purifiers when air quality worsens.

Farah Salleh Sep 29, 2026Singapore

A dengue prevention poster on an HDB common corridor wall next to potted plants, afternoon light, peeling paint on railing, no readable text on poster, no faces

Health

MOH Reminds Residents of Dengue Warning Signs as Weekly Case Count Rises to 74

Weekly dengue infections rose to 74 in the period ending 19 September, with one red cluster remaining around Lakeside as the traditional peak season continues.

Farah Salleh Sep 28, 2026Singapore

Singapore city bridge at dusk with red architectural lighting on steel structure, reflections on water, long exposure documentary style, no logos or readable text

Health

Landmarks From Esplanade to Suntec City Light Up Red for World Heart Day

More than a dozen bridges and landmarks from the Esplanade to Suntec City will glow red on 28 and 29 September for World Heart Day, ahead of a 3 October community event at Heartbeat@Bedok.

Farah Salleh Sep 27, 2026Singapore

Photoreal morning scene in Singapore's Central Region: a hazy skyline of HDB blocks and office towers in soft amber-grey light, a pedestrian in a mask walking along a covered walkway, distant hills softened by smoke haze, shot on a 35mm lens at eye level, no logos or readable text

Health

Central Region PSI Crosses 104 as NEA Forecasts Haze Into Sunday

Central Singapore's 24-hour PSI reached 104 at 8pm on Sep 26, putting the region back in the unhealthy band, with NEA expecting moderate to low-unhealthy air through Sunday. The number to watch if you are in a vulnerable group is not the regional index but the hourly PM2.5 figure that moves first.

Farah Salleh Sep 26, 2026Singapore

A photoreal scene of a Singapore hawker centre at lunchtime: a diner holding a phone toward an abstract QR placard on a stall counter, bowls of noodles and kuay teow, steam rising, fluorescent lights, other diners blurred in the background, no logos or readable text.

Health

Parliament Told SAFE Food Grades Reward Year-Round Hawker Track Records

MSE's oral reply in Parliament draws a line between SAFE's year-round track record for Category 2 stalls and the annual snapshot grade that diners see on a hawker stall front.

Farah Salleh Sep 25, 2026Singapore

Hazy skyline over Lentor estate rooftops with NEA-style air quality sign blurred in foreground, overcast afternoon, no logos or readable text

Health

NEA Haze Band Holds as Lentor Dengue Cluster Hits 258 Cases

NEA kept one-hour PM2.5 in the normal band on Thursday while haze forecasts stayed moderate, even as the Lentor–Countryside Road dengue cluster remained the largest active outbreak at 258 cases.

Farah Salleh Sep 24, 2026Singapore

General practice clinic vaccine fridge with a few influenza vials on a tray, appointment clipboard on counter under fluorescent light, no logos or readable text

Health

Neighbourhood Clinics Report Patchy Flu Vaccine Slots Ahead of October NH Stock

MOH says national influenza supply is sufficient, but CHAS clinics report patchy southern-hemisphere vials and scarce booking slots while the delayed northern-hemisphere stock waits until October.

Farah Salleh Sep 23, 2026Singapore

Empty vaccine refrigerator trays and a single influenza vial on a CHAS clinic counter under fluorescent light, appointment clipboard blurred, no logos or readable text

Health

Clinics Report Short Flu-Vaccine Runs as MOH Prioritises SH Doses for Seniors

GP networks say southern-hemisphere flu vials are patchy at neighbourhood clinics even as MOH maintains national SH supply, leaving seniors to chase bookings or wait for October northern-hemisphere stock.

Farah Salleh Sep 22, 2026Singapore

A nurse prepares a seasonal influenza vaccine at a Singapore polyclinic consultation room, cool fluorescent light on stainless tray and cotton swab, seated patient blurred in background, no logos or readable text

Health

Influenza Cases Climb as MOH Urges SH Vaccine Before NH Shots Arrive

MOH says influenza activity has picked up again and urges at-risk groups to take the 2026 southern-hemisphere shot now, while northern-hemisphere vaccines will arrive in early to mid-October—about two weeks later than usual.

Farah Salleh Sep 21, 2026Singapore