February 5, 2025
SINGAPORE – About $2.4 million is being set aside by the authorities to fund a research initiative that will help in gaining a deeper understanding of ticks and tick-borne diseases that infect animals and humans in Singapore.
Doctors are not required to report tick bites in Singapore, but a recent study found that native ticks that bite humans can turn into ticking time-bombs by carrying disease-causing microbes, also known as pathogens.
These bead-size bloodsuckers typically lurk in leaf litter near wildlife corridors, posing a threat to hikers, cyclists and dog owners who frequent these places.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, National Parks Board (NParks) group director of veterinary health Chua Tze Hoong said the studies will help in early detection of and intervention against outbreaks of diseases that spread from animals to humans, which are called zoonotic diseases.
The studies are part of a $15 million biosurveillance research programme to monitor the environment for zoonotic diseases amid a growing risk of such outbreaks.
This rising risk of outbreaks has been attributed to climate change, the urbanisation of natural habitats, increased travel and trade in disease-carrying animals.
The $2.4 million funding will help establish the population structure and interactions of local tick fauna with their hosts, according to a grant document released on the NParks website in January.
Amid an ongoing push in Singapore to introduce more parks and park connectors, every household is expected to be within a 10-minute walk of a park by 2030.
As people pursue recreational activities in such nature areas, the likelihood of coming into contact with ticks increases, the document said.
Future research on ticks in Singapore will add to existing biosurveillance efforts by the NParks Animal and Veterinary Service, which has uncovered tick-borne blood parasites that cause zoonotic diseases in stray dogs and dogs in shelters, as well as the environment in which they live.
Researchers in the recent study recommended that tick bites and seven tick-borne diseases should be tracked by the authorities to ensure a prompt response to new tick-borne pathogens.
In some cases, tick bites have turned fatal. In 2023, an elderly woman in Japan died after getting bitten by a tick carrying the Oz virus, which causes lethal infections in the mice. She is likely the first death caused by the virus.
Japan also recorded the first human-to-human transmission of a viral infection linked to ticks in 2024.
The study in Singapore also called for regular monitoring of forest areas to understand the seasonal abundance of local ticks, and to allow for the early detection of invasive tick species.
It proposed as well putting up warning signs to increase awareness of the risk of tick bites, and exclusion barriers to prevent major tick hosts like wild pigs and sambar deer from bringing ticks into parkland.
Said Dr Chua: “As ticks are known to be present in the local environment, pet owners are encouraged to protect their pets from ticks through various measures such as using tick prevention products and checking their pets after engaging in outdoor activities.
“Owners should seek veterinary advice on tick preventative measures as well, if they are concerned about tick-borne diseases in their pets.”