As climate-related risks converge with ageing populations, urbanisation and rising chronic disease, the region’s healthcare systems will need greater emphasis on prevention, resilience and healthier populations, said AIA's Group Chief Healthcare Officer Kelvin Loh.
Plastic pollution and drug-resistant infections are usually regarded as separate global crises. But emerging research suggests links between them: Microplastic particles in the environment are colonised by bacteria, and those bacteria develop antibiotic resistance at an unprecedented rate.
Infant deaths in India have declined, but viral infection rates remain high, underscoring that water and sanitation alone cannot prevent viral disease and that vaccine gains must be reinforced by pandemic preparedness.