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Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC)

The Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC) is one of Singapore's oldest hospitals. In 1907, it began as an isolation camp, adjoining the Pauper Hospital and the Leper Asylum in Serangoon Road, for patients with infectious diseases. Between 1907 and 1931, hospital buildings were added, and it became the Government Infectious Diseases Hospital and later the Middleton Hospital. In 1985, the Hospital was absorbed into the Tan Tock Seng Hospital and its name changed to the Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC). Today, CDC is the national centre for the management of communicable and infectious diseases.

History
Singapore's early cases of infectious diseases were treated at the wards of the General or Pauper Hospitals (old name of Tan Tock Seng Hospital).  They were moved to the new Quarantine Camp at Moulmein Road in 1907. This camp,  adjoining the Pauper Hospital and the Leper Asylum in Serangoon Road, was also known at the Government Infectious Diseases Camp. Between 1907 and 1931, hospital buildings were added and by July 1913, the quarantine camp became the Government Infectious Diseases Hospital which in turn changed its name to the Middleton Hospital in November 1920. Diseases that were prevalent at that time include chicken pox, cholera, typhoid fever, and plague. The Hospital admitted its first AIDS patient in the 1985.

In 1985, the Middleton Hospital was absorbed into the Tan Tock Seng Hospital and renamed the Department of Communicable Diseases (DCD). In 1992, the Tan Tock Seng Hospital was restructured.  The Tuberculosis Control and Epidemiology sections merged with the Department of Communicable Diseases to form the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC). The restructuring was followed by a major upgrade of the CDC's physical infrastructure and facilities.  The administration however remained under the Ministry of Health until 1 April 1995, when the CDC came under the direct administration of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital. With the change, the CDC became the national centre for the management of communicable and infectious diseases. In addition, the CDC also acts as regional referral centre for communicable and infectious diseases.

Description and facilities
The CDC is made up of a series of single storey blocks or pavilions housed in a spacious park-like setting. It was designed by D. M.Craik, then the Architectural Assistant to the Municipal Council of Singapore. The facade is simple, unpretentious and each block is designated as a ward. Each ward opens into wide verandas on all its sides via large shutters. Ventilated louvers in high-pitched roofs with ceiling fans ensure good ventilation. Tall angsanas dominate its landscape. The centre also houses a mortuary. Additions and alterations were made to the building by the Public Works Department in 1984 and 1985.

The CDC receives referrals from Singapore and overseas hospitals, government polyclinics, general practitioners and private specialists. It is home to three referral centres; Referral Centre for Communicable Disease and HIV Infection; Referral Centre for Stool screening of Food Handlers; and Referral Centre for Contacts of Outbreak of Infectious Diseases. It is also a Liaison Centre to Ministry of Education for candidates with Infectious Diseases. 

SARS
The CDC and its staff made news from March to May 2003 with their brave fight against SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). A new SARS wing, called CDC 2, with 64 isolation rooms, 18 ICU rooms and an operating theatre, was opened on 16 August 2003 next to the new Tan Tock Seng Hospital building. This was designed from a block which was previously home to the Ren Ci Community Hospital.  The Ministry of Health spent nearly $30 million to prepare the new wing for new SARS outbreak. The CDC at Moulmein Road, known as CDC 1, also underwent renovation and rebuilding to add isolation rooms and upgrade its facilities. The works were completed in May 2003.

Address
Communicable Disease Centre
Moulmein Road
Singapore 308433

 

Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja

References
Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1996). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places (p. 103). Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING 915.957 EDW)

Jarman, R. L. (Ed.). (1988). Annual reports of the Straits Settlements 1855-1941(Vol. 6, p. 496). Slough, UK: Archive Editions.
(RSING 959.51 STR  -[AR] v. 6)

Jarman, R. L. (Ed.). (1988). Annual reports of the Straits Settlements 1855-1941(Vol. 5, p. 596). Slough, UK: Archive Editions.
(RSING 959.51 STR  -[AR] v. 5)

Makepeace, W., Brooke, G. E., & Braddell, R. St. J. (Eds.). (1991). One hundred years of Singapore (Vol. 1, p. 506). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 ONE)

Nadarajah, I. (1968-69). A brief early history of the hospital services, Singapore (Vol. 2, p. 3). Singapore: General Hospital.
(Call no.: RCLOS 610.95957 GEN)

Straits Settlements. (1920, November 5). Straits Settlements government gazette (No. 94, p. 3) [Microfilm: NL1200-NL1219]. Singapore: Mission Press.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital. (2000). Tan Tock Seng Hospital: A distinguished past, a vision for the future (pp. 24, 30). Singapore: Author.
(Call no.: RSING 362.11095957 TAN)

Communicable Disease Centre comes under TTSH's wings. (1995, April 5). The Straits Times, Home, p. 22.

John, A. (2003, May 18). Heroes toil quietly in the humblest of hospitals. The Straits Times.

Lee, L. (2000, July 19). Keeping patients' disease private a priority. The Straits Times, p. 61.

Lim, A. (1996, December 2). CDC to get new, state-of-the-art building by 1999. The Straits Times, p. 30.

Lim, A. (1997, September 2). Dreaded diseases of old are back in S'pore. The Straits Times, p. 38.

Toh, S. (1990, April 29 ). New general hospital to be built in Simei. The Straits Times, p. 18.

TTSH's new Sars wing opens its doors. (2003, August 24). The Straits Times [Electronic version].

Chee, Y. C. (October-December 2003). Tan Tock Seng Hospital - Singapore's SARS hospital (part 3). Medical Digest, 14-17. Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Retrieved June 28, 2007, from www.ttsh.com.sg/new/research/MD%20octdec%202003_FA.pdf


Further Readings
Khalik, S., & Lee, H. C. (2003, March 18). Shopping trip for 3 turned horribly wrong; Women on Hongkong trip brought disease to Singapore. The Straits Times [Electronic version], Prime News.

Khalik, S., & Wong, S. M. (2003, June 1). Sars-free, now to fine-tune crisis-handling. The Straits Times [Electronic version], Prime News.

Sars man goes home. (2003, September 17). The Straits Times [Electronic version], Singapore.

Tan, W. (2003, May 30). Sars or no Sars, Singapore will not let its guard down. The Straits Times [Electronic version].

The information in this article is valid as at 2003 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Architecture and Landscape>>Building Types>>public Buildings
Politics and Government>>Health
Communicable diseases--Hospitals--Singapore
Hospitals--Singapore
Singapore--History--1867-1942
Health and medicine>>Health services

Librarian Recommendations
>> Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH)
>> First report of AIDS


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