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Stevens-Johnson Syndrome From Vaccine Risk Explained!

Should you be alarmed about a reported 7X increase in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome / toxic epidermal necrolysis from COVID-19 and the vaccine?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Alarming 7X Increase In Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Linked To COVID-19 And Vaccine!

People are sharing an Epoch Times article, claiming that it is evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine can cause the dangerous Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) or toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN)!

Here is an excerpt of the Epoch Times article. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts:

‘Alarming’ Sevenfold Increase in Steven-Johnson Syndrome Linked to COVID-19 and Vaccine

A sudden increase in Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS)—a rare and potentially fatal skin disorder—may be triggered by COVID-19, increased vaccination rates, or a lowered threshold caused by vaccines or previous infection, according to a large case series recently published in Burns.

Researchers with the burns unit at Concord Repatriation General Hospital in Australia saw two to four cases of SJS, or toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), per year prior to COVID-19. In the first six months of 2022 alone, the same burn center observed a sevenfold rise in cases.

Of the 14 reported cases, five patients had COVID-19 a month before developing SJS/TEN, and three of 14 patients received a COVID-19 vaccine one month prior. Not a single case of SJS/TEN was reported in an unvaccinated individual. Researchers said the rarity of the condition and presence of medications known to trigger the disease make the link difficult to prove, but the rapid rise in cases since the beginning of the pandemic and vaccine rollout is “alarming.”

SJS/TEN is a severe hypersensitivity condition where the skin develops rashes, blisters, and peels forming painful areas that resemble a severe hot water burn. Mucous membranes, including the eyes, genitalia, and mouth, are often affected or severely damaged, leading to sepsis, pneumonia, infection, or death.

Although SJS and TEN were once considered separate conditions, they are now part of the same disease—with SJS representing the less severe end of the disease spectrum and TEN representing the most severe.

Medications, including epilepsy medicines, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory painkillers, are the chief cause of SJS/TEN, but certain viruses and vaccines can also cause the condition. Due to its potentially fatal nature, SJS/TEN is considered a medical emergency, and patients are treated in burn units.

The researchers proposed three theories for the sudden increase in SJS/TEN cases.

Virus-Induced

The first theory is that the SARS-CoV-2 virus may induce SJS/TEN by directly binding to receptors that trigger a T-cell-mediated response. Other viruses known to cause SJS/TEN include the herpes simplex virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and influenza.

Vaccine-Induced

A second theory is that COVID-19 vaccines may directly bind to cell receptors that trigger SJS/TEN and influence the body’s T-cell immune response initiating SJS/TEN. This T-cell response peaks at seven and 28 days post-vaccination, consistent with the observed cases.

According to the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), 198 cases of SJS/TEN following COVID-19 vaccination were reported between Dec. 14, 2019, and June 23, 2023. Historically, VAERS has been shown to report fewer than 1 percent of actual vaccine adverse events, which means other cases of SJS/TEN may have occurred but were unreported.

Threshold Lowering

The third theory proposed by the authors is that developing a COVID-19 infection or receiving a vaccine “primes” the immune system, lowering the threshold for a drug to trigger SJS/TEN. Without this “priming,” the drug would otherwise not cause the condition.

Regulatory agencies in the United States and abroad have not acknowledged the potential link between SJS/TEN and COVID-19 vaccines or studied the ability of the virus or vaccine to prime the immune system. The study’s authors say more research should be done to investigate the impact viruses like SARS-CoV-2 have on immune-mediated disorders such as SJS/TEN.

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Stevens-Johnson Syndrome May Be Linked To COVID-19 And Vaccine

In this article, I will go through the Epoch Times article, and share with you what the facts really are!

Fact #1 : Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Is An Immune System Disorder

First, let’s start with a quick overview of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS), and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN).

Both SJS and TEN are severe skin reactions caused by the body’s own immune system. They are classified as part of the same disease spectrum, with SJS being less severe (<10% body surface affected) and TEN being the most severe form (>30% body surface affected).

SJS / TEN usually occurs as a reaction to new medication or infection, with genetic factors making some people more vulnerable than others. It progresses fairly quickly:

It usually starts with a fever, sore throat, cough and burning eyes for the first 1-3 days
Then you may feel widespread skin pain, and a red or purple rash develops and spreads
You will start to get blisters on your skin, and the ulcers of the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, eyes, and genitals
The affected areas of your skin will start to blister, and eventually peel off

However, recovery takes much longer – skin regrowth takes 2-3 weeks, and full recovery often takes several months.

SJS has a mortality rate of about 5%, but TEN which has greater skin involvement has a mortality rate of 30% to 40%. So this is indeed a very serious disorder.

Fact #2 : Case Report Only Identified Possible Associations

The Epoch Times article is based on a case report published online in the journal Burns, called The seven-fold rise in incidence of Stevens-Johnson syndrome & toxic epidermal necrolysis: Associations with COVID-19 and the vaccine.

It is currently listed as an Uncorrected Proof, which means it still needs to be “proof-read and corrected by the author(s)”. But I personally don’t see anything troubling in the article – it is a case report and discussion on the 7X increase in SJS / TEN cases the authors saw in their hospital.

However, I should point out that this case report only refers to SJS / TEN cases seen in one hospital – the Concord Repatriation General Hospital in Sydney, Australia. That does not mean there is something wrong with the case report. It only means that this is one case report. More research is required before any association can be made.

The authors specifically pointed out that their study only identified three “theories” and “possible associations” for future research to look into:

This study identifies possible associations between COVID, the vaccine and the development of SJS/TEN.

We propose three theories for this seven-fold increase in case number; a virus induced, a vaccine induced and a threshold lowering pathway.

We advise future research investigates the impact viruses such as SARS-COV-2 have on immune mediated diseases such as SJS/TEN.

Fact #3 : COVID-19 / Vaccine-Related SJS Only Increased By 2.67X

As Stevens-Johnson Syndrome is triggered by a new medication or infection, it is definitely possible for a COVID-19 infection, or vaccine, to cause it. However, it is important to note that SJS / TEN develops soon after the person gets infected, or receives the medication / vaccine.

That’s why the study authors look specifically at just 8 cases (out of 14) where the patients recently had a COVID-19 infection, or received a COVID-19 vaccine. The other 6 cases were not mentioned because they were likely caused by something else.

Because only those 8 cases were deemed to be potentially associated with COVID-19 or the vaccine, the actual increase over the baseline average of 3 cases for that hospital was 2.67x higher than normal, not 7X.

Fact #4 : SJS Risk Appears Higher For COVID-19 Infections

When we look at the breakdown of the eight patients whose SJS / TEN could have been caused by either COVID-19 infection or vaccine:

five patients had COVID-19 in the preceding month
three patients received a COVID-19 vaccine in the preceding month

Even if we assume that the SJS / TEN of all eight patients were indeed caused by COVID-19 or the vaccine, the results suggest that you are 33% more likely to get SJS / TEN with a COVID-19 infection, than with a COVID-19 vaccine.

COVID-19 infection : 2.67X risk over baseline
COVID-19 vaccine : 2X risk over baseline

Fact #5 : SJS / TENS Risk Is Still Very Low

Whether the risk of developing Stevens-Johnson Syndrome from a COVID-19 vaccine increases by 7X or just 2X, the risk is still very low.

By the end of 2022, New South Wales vaccinated over 6.5 million people. Taking into account that just three SJS / TENS cases were linked to the COVID-19 vaccine that year, the risk is only about 1 in 2.17 million!

Even if you assume that all 14 SJS / TEN cases (instead of just 3) were caused by the vaccine, that works out to just 1 in 464,286 vaccinated people. Still very rare.

Fact #6 : Unvaccinated People Have Developed SJS / TENS

The Epoch Times article took pains to point out that “Not a single case of SJS/TEN was reported in an unvaccinated individual.” That’s not surprising because 95% of New South Wales residents were fully-vaccinated by that point in time!

It would be wrong to believe that being unvaccinated means your risk of developing SJS / TEN is zero. Before COVID-19 vaccines were administered, doctors have already reported cases of Stevens-Johnson syndrome in unvaccinated COVID-19 patients:

an unvaccinated 6 year-old boy developed life-threatening TEN after a COVID-19 infection
two unvaccinated adult females in India developed TEN after COVID-19 infection
unvaccinated COVID-19 patient developed TEN after being treated with hydroxychloroquine

And I should point out that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence for people who never got infected or vaccinated was:

Stevens-Johnson syndrome : 1.6 cases per million people per year
Toxic epidermal necrolysis : 9.2 cases per million people per year

In other words, New South Wales alone would normally see about 13 cases of SJS, and 75 cases of TENS per year, before the COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccine!

Fact #7 : Risk Of SJS / TENS Much Higher With COVID-19 Infection

A December 2022 review looked at 34 published cases of SJS and TEN developing after COVID-19 infection and vaccination – 12 cases after vaccination, and 22 cases after infection.

Based on their review of the multiple case reports, their tally shows that the risk of getting SJS / TEN from a COVID-19 infection is 4-10X higher than the risk of getting it from any COVID-19 vaccine!

Fact #8 : Underreporting Of SJS / TEN Is Very Unlikely

While the Australian study never once mentioned VAERS (which is an American reporting system), the Epoch Times article took pains to claim that “historically, VAERS has been shown to report fewer than 1 percent of actual vaccine adverse events, which means other cases of SJS/TEN may have occurred but were unreported.”

That “less than 1 percent” claim was based on a very old 2011 report (PDF download) on improving vaccine adverse event reporting to VAERS, based on data collected from June 2006 to October 2009. Needless to say – VAERS has improved significantly in the last 14 years!

More importantly, Stevens-Johnson syndrome is such a severe and traumatising event for both doctor and patient, it is extremely unlikely to go unreported or under-reported.

Many people will probably not bother to report adverse events like muscle ache or a fever after getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but you can be sure they will rush to the hospital once their skin starts peeling off!

Fact #9 : The Epoch Times Appears To Be Promoting This

Interestingly, the Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) parameters at the end of some of these links suggest that The Epoch Times may be promoting the article through certain partners. For example:

The Chief Nerd
utm_source = partner
utm_campaign = TheChiefNerd

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did Media Watch prove Covid patients are just actors?!

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Did the Australian TV show, Media Watch, just prove that COVID-19 patients are just crisis actors hired to scare people into getting the vaccine?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Media Watch Proved COVID-19 Patients Are Just Actors!

People are sharing a video clip on WhatsApp and social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok, claiming that crisis actors were paid to scare people into getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

The video purportedly shows the Australian TV show, Media Watch, proving that COVID-19 patients are just crisis actors hired to scare people into getting the vaccine!

Stew Peters : Australia used CRISES ACTORS to spread Covid fear and push “vaccinations”.

SF Conservative PATRIOT : They LIED about everything. #CovidActors helped to do their dirty work.

I Stand For Freedom : Those heartbreaking stories you heard on the news early in the pandemic were mostly all LIES! They were paid Crisis/COVID actors who the GOVT & MSM paid to come on your TV & scare the shit out of you so you would inject yourself with a medical experiment. You pissed yet?

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/COVID-actors.mp4?_=1

Truth : Media Watch Proved COVID-19 Patients Were NOT Actors!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or promoted by anti-vaccination activists, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Video Was From September 2021

While the video clip is going viral in June 2023, it originally went viral several times in the past, starting around October 2021.

That’s because the video clip was originally aired by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s show, Media Watch, on September 9, 2021.

Fact #2 : Video Was Edited For A Different Conclusion

The video is genuine, but was edited to deliver a completely different conclusion.

In the video, Paul Barry started the segment by discussing rumours that health authorities in New South Wales employed crisis actors to impersonate COVID-19 patients, to push the vaccination campaign.

After showing clips of three Concord Hospital patients in Sydney testifying about their fight with COVID-19, Barry said:

But soon, people on social media were wondering if the New South Wales video was actually a fake.

Yes, all three, including Ramona, were supposedly paid crisis actors, who did not have Covid at all

The video cuts right after it shows a TikTok video in which an “Internet sleuth” called the hospital and found out that Ramona Khoury was not a patient at the hospital.

That’s because like our fact check articles, Paul Barry started by telling his viewers what the fake news was, before debunking it.

What the fake news creator did was cut the video to only show you the first part, and cut out the rest of the segment which shows Paul Barry debunking the claims.

Fact #3 : Media Watch Proved COVID-19 Patients Were Not Actors

In the full segment of the Media Watch video (watch here), Paul Barry debunked the claims that the three patients in the video were crisis actors.

So is Ramona a crisis actor pretending to have Covid for New South Wales Health? No, of course she’s not.

As New South Wales Health made clear, the patient’s name is not Ramona Khoury, but Ramona El-Nachar who is a pharmacy worker.

[screen shows a photo comparison of Ramona El-Nachar, and Ramona Khoury]

And as you can clearly see, they are two different people, despite the fact that they both are women, and both have dark hair.

And as for [the] two male patients, we are happy to tell you that they are not crisis actors either.

Media Watch then shows one of the male patients, Osama Ahmad, was wrongly identified as actor Mitch Garling, who posted an Instagram video saying that he was not Osama Ahmad:

Turns out that people are using my photo and my StarNow profile saying that I’m an actor sitting in a hospital pretending to have Covid.

Look, I am an actor, but not pretending to have Covid. Not that. It doesn’t even look like me, he has a beard, that’s it.

Fact #4 : Media Watch Called Viral Video “Absurd”

Media Watch executive producer Timothy Latham labelled the edited video clip which keeps going viral on social media as “absurd and deliberately misleading“.

The reason we did the story in the first place was to kill off this idiotic suggestion.

It’s an insult to Concord Hospital and the brave patients who spoke out about the reality of contracting Covid-19.

Fact #5 : This Is Just Anti-Vaccine Fact News

This is just another example of fake news created and/or spread by anti-vaccination activists to scare people. Here are other recent examples:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did Dr Chad Hazouri Die Suddenly From Vaccine?!

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Did prominent Sydney cosmetic dentist Dr Chad Hazouri die suddenly from vaccine SADS?!

Take a look at the viral claims about his sudden death, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Dr Chad Hazouri Died Suddenly From Vaccine SADS!

Right after news broke that Dr Chad Hazouri died suddenly and unexpectedly, people immediately claimed that the prominent Sydney cosmetic dentist died suddenly from COVID-19 vaccine SADS!

Mid-50s? Far too young… #vaccine ? #VaccineSideEffects ?
#VaccineDeath #vaccinegenocide

Another young person dies from taking the poison jab. How many more are going to die before we stand up to the world gvt and what they have done to us

JABB GOT ANOTHER ONE.. “SADS”

No Evidence Dr Chad Hazouri Died From COVID-19 Vaccine SADS!

It’s now tradition for anti-vaccination activists to immediately blame all sudden deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Unknown How / When Dr Chad Hazouri Died

Dr Chad Hazouri (born Charbel El Hazouri in 1966) was a prominent cosmetic dentist and injectables expert in Sydney, Australia, who developed his own Precise Aligners orthodontic system.

It is unknown precisely when or how Dr Hazouri died, only that his friends started posting condolences on Facebook on Monday, February 20, 2023.

From I can determine, Dr. Hazouri was about 56-57 years old when he died, and is survived by his wife, Kylie Hazouri, and two daughters, Lauren Hazouri and Jade Hazouri.

A celebration of his life was held from 6-9 PM on Tuesday, February 21 at 63 Parkes Street, West Ryde, Sydney, Australia. He was laid to rest on Saturday morning, February 25, 2023.

Fact #2 : Dr Chad Hazouri’s Cause Of Death Not Revealed

The cause of death for Dr Chad Hazouri is currently not publicly revealed. His family and friends made no mention of how or why he died.

Dr Hazouri could have died suddenly from any number of reasons – a heart attack, a car accident, a stroke, suicide, a fall, etc. So it would be wrong and disrespectful for anyone to claim, without evidence, that he died from the COVID-19 vaccine.

However, the fact that Dr Chad Hazouri was laid to rest so soon, and that there was no mention of an autopsy, suggest that the cause and manner of his death was not suspicious in any way.

Fact #3 : Unknown If Dr Chad Hazouri Was Vaccinated Against COVID-19

It is currently unknown if Dr Chad Hazouri was vaccinated against COVID-19, as he has never publicly mentioned his vaccination status.

For all we know – he may not even be vaccinated! The COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in Australia, despite what anti-vaccination activists may claim.

For example, anti-vaccination activists claimed that Kaden Clymer was almost crippled by a 6-foot long vaccine-induced blood clot, but the high school athlete was never vaccinated against COVID-19!

Until and unless his family reveals his COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who claims that Dr Chad Hazouri received the COVID-19 vaccine is likely lying to you.

Fact #4 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days

Even if Dr Chad Hazouri was fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, it does not mean he died from the COVID-19 vaccine, as he would have received his doses many months ago!

He cannot possibly be suffering from a vaccine side effect, because they appear within hours or days, not months later.

Mild side effects like injection site pain, fever, muscle ache, headache, lethargy develop within minutes to hours of the vaccination.

Anaphylaxis develops within minutes, while other severe adverse reactions like myocarditis and VITT develop within days.

The spike proteins produced by the COVID-19 vaccines also do not stick around for months. If these spike proteins are permanent (as antivaxxers claim), we would have lifelong immunity.

Your own immune system will identify the spike proteins as foreign, and destroy them within a matter of days, although some may last for up to a few weeks. This is part of how vaccines teach your immune system to identify the enemy and destroy it.

Fact #5 : Claims Of Doctors Injured By COVID-19 Vaccine Proven False

So far, claims of doctor deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false at every instance. Here are a few examples I fact checked in the past.

Will these anti-vaccination activists apologise for lying to you? Nope! They will just move on to the next doctor tragedy…

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Support Tech ARP!

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Microsoft Technology Centre Sydney : An Exclusive Tour!

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Microsoft opened a brand new Technology Centre in downtown Sydney last month, and we were one of the few that were given an exclusive tour.

Join us for the Microsoft Technology Centre Sydney tour, and find out what it offers, and how it looks inside!

Microsoft Technology Centre Sydney

Located at 1 Martin Place, the new Microsoft Technology Centre Sydney represents a significant investment by Microsoft in New South Wales.

Taking over the entire floor of what was once the LinkedIn office in Sydney, it is home to a dedicated Microsoft team of seven experts and specialists, including a director, five technical architects with extensive experience in various sectors, and a technology manager.

Steven Worrall, Managing Director, Microsoft Australia, said; “This is a significant and important investment by Microsoft in the Australian market.

The Microsoft Technology Centre will help our customers accelerate their digital journeys by bringing together the right resources – people and technology – in one location to demonstrate what can be achieved in their organisation and then to work with them to bring that to life.

The Microsoft Technology Centre Sydney is the latest in a string of large investments by Microsoft int the Australian market, which included the establishment of two Azure data centre regions in Canberra, and a Microsoft Reactor in the Sydney Startup Hub.

What Does Microsoft Technology Centre Sydney Offer?

The new Microsoft Technology Centre Sydney gives Australian enterprises the opportunity to explore how to digitally transform themselves. It offers an envisioning theatre, an exploration showcase, an innovation factory, a social hub, a cybersecurity room, as well as workshop and boardrooms.

At the Microsoft Technology Centre Sydney, enterprises will have direct access to Microsoft experts, as well as strategy briefings, architecture design sessions, workshops, proof-of-concepts as well as hackathons.

NSW Government MOU

At its official launch, the NSW government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Microsoft Australia.

Under this MOU, NSW department leads would be invited to the new Microsoft Technology Centre Sydney, to explore how NSW government services can be digitally transformed.

Greg Wells, NSW Government Chief Information and Digital Officer, said, “This Memorandum of Understanding will allow us to bring Department Heads to the MTC where they can see what more can be achieved with digital services, improved efficiencies and good value solutions.

We expect there will be significant positive impact for citizens and businesses as well as operational efficiencies for Government.”

Partnership With DXC Technology

Microsoft Australia also announced a five-year strategic partnership with IT services giant DXC Technology, to transition both their Australian clients to the Microsoft Azure cloud services.

This is the first partnership of its kind worldwide, and will enable current and future DXC clients to better transition their workloads to Microsoft Azure in Australia.

Seelan Nayagam, managing director, DXC Technology said, “Microsoft Azure is a trusted, secure and high-performance cloud with an already comprehensive and growing array of services.

Together we can provide solutions that our government and commercial clients can confidently deploy today while being prepared for changing market conditions or expectations.

The combination of our deep understanding and experience and Microsoft’s cloud and technical expertise is going to be a game changer for existing and new clients to realize and expand their digital transformation ambitions.”

Recommended : The 2019 Microsoft Ignite – A Quick Tour!

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SUFECS – Imagine Cup Asia 2019 People’s Choice Winner!

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Team Caeli from India may have won the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia, but another team stood out from the crowd of truly excellent teams – Team SUFECS from Malaysia. In fact, they impressed Microsoft Ignite Sydney participants so much, they gave the team an award!

Find out what the SUFECS project is all about, and why the team won the Microsoft Ignite People’s Choice Award!

Updated @ 2019-02-25 : Added a new video of Team SUFECS’s pitch at the Imagine Cup Asia 2019, with additional details on the SUFECS system.

Originally posted @ 2019-02-20

Team SUFECS From UTHM, Malaysia

The SUFECS team was formed by four students from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM).

Seah Choon Sen : Team Leader & Data Scientist
Tan Wei Yang : Technology Developer
Mek Zi Cong : Operations
Muhammad Adam bin Mazlan : Web Developer

What Is SUFECS All About?

Short for Smart Urban Farming with Automated Environmental Controlled System, SUFECS was developed to make urban farming easier and more accessible to both entrepreneurs and the common people.

Built to automate hydroponic vertical farming, it will continuously monitor and automatically adjust critical environmental parameters to ensure optimal growth. To do that, this enterprising team leveraged IoT devices, cloud computing and machine learning.

Multiple electronic sensors monitor conditions within the hydroponic system
A control module sends the environmental parameters to Microsoft Azure for processing and logging
Deviations from optimal conditions are automatically detected and corrected

The team has demonstrated that SUFECS does not only make it easy for anyone to grow their own crops in an urban, indoor environment, they are able to significantly speed up growth, reducing the time between planting and harvest.

They also showed that SUFECS has successfully increased the size of the plant, and the yield of the crops. This means their system will not only make it easier to setup and maintain an urban hydroponic farm of any size, it will create bigger and better crops.

What Can SUFECS Monitor & Control?

SUFECS is currently able to monitor and control six environmental parameters :

ambient temperature,
water temperature,
humidity level,
water level,
pH value, and
ambient light.

It will also monitor plant height, and alert you when it is ready for harvest.

The team is working to add the ability to monitor and control two additional environmental parameters

electrical conductivity
dissolved oxygen level

The team has, so far, developed datasets for five different plant types using machine learning.

SUFECS Wins People’s Choice Award @ Microsoft Ignite Sydney

Microsoft held the Microsoft Ignite Sydney a day after Imagine Cup Asia, where they showcased the projects of the top 12 Asian teams.

At the end of Ignite, Team SUFECS received the most vote, and won the People’s Choice Award! Congratulations!

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Microsoft Ignite 2019 @ Sydney – A Quick Tour!

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Microsoft Ignite 2019 is here in Sydney! It was sold out, of course, but we managed to get a ticket.

So here is our quick tour for everyone else who could not make it, but wanted to see what it’s all about!

Microsoft Ignite 2019 @ Sydney

The Microsoft Ignite 2019 @ Sydney is a Microsoft tech conference for developers and tech professionals. For two days, it offers skill-building workshops, networking opportunities and access to top Microsoft engineers. No wonder tickets were quickly sold out!

For developers and tech professionals who want to learn how to better leverage Microsoft’s cloud services, the 2019 Microsoft Ignite is a rare opportunity to learn directly from those who build Power BI, Microsoft 365, and Azure.

Building your Applications for the Cloud – Learn how to architect and build your applications to take advantage of the scale that the cloud offers.
Deploying your Desktop & Infrastructure – Discover how to begin your journey to the cloud and what steps you need to both move your infrastructure and deploy your desktop.
‘Getting the most of your Data – Learn how to use AI and Machine Learning to gain new understanding using existing data within your organisation.
Migrating Applications to the Cloud – Learn what it takes to modernise your applications and prepare them for successful migration to the cloud.
Optimise Teamwork in your Organisation – Reveal the collaborative workforce within your business and learn how to build effective teams.
Securing your Organisation – Build a secure organisation without compromising the productivity of your business.

Microsoft Ignite 2019 @ Sydney : A Quick Tour!

Microsoft Ignite 2019 @ Sydney was held in the International Convention Center Sydney (ICC Sydney) over two days – 13th and 14th February 2019. Yes, even on Valentine’s Day. These are truly dedicated professionals!

The Microsoft Ignite 2019 @ Sydney covered two halls, as well as several lecture halls. In our quick tour, we take a look at the Hub, where participants get to interact directly with Microsoft professionals and their partners.

Note : We intentionally recorded our tour while most participants were inside the lecture halls for the workshops. Otherwise, the halls would be swarmed with people, making it difficult for us to record our tour.

The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Showcase

As the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia concluded a day earlier, Microsoft also took the opportunity to showcase the projects of the 12 top Asian teams.

We highly recommend you check out what these young entrepreneurs came up with this year. Be inspired by their creativity!

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These 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Winners Will Change The World

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Asia has chosen their representatives to the 2019 Imagine Cup World Championships – Team Caeli from India! They also honoured Team RailinNova from China and Team AidUSC from the Philippines. Congratulations!

What Is The Imagine Cup?

Held and sponsored by Microsoft since 2003, the Imagine Cup is the world’s premier student technology competition.

Teams of students from across the globe work together with mentors and industry leaders to bring their biggest and boldest ideas to life.

The five Imagine Cup judges evaluated the merits of these 12 top teams in a three-step process :

a 3-minute product presentation
5 minutes of hands-on time
a Q&A session

To avoid bias and group-think, the judges evaluated the teams independently, and even used an application to anonymously tabulate the results.

The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Winners

The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Champion : Team Caeli from India

Team Caeli won over the hearts of the judges with their automated Anti-Pollution and Drug delivery mask specifically designed for patients that are suffering from asthma and other chronic respiratory conditions.

Their face mask had breakthrough features that will significantly improve the quality of life for patients with respiratory issues living in polluted areas.

Team Caeli will receive USD15,000 and head to the 2019 Imagine Cup World Championship, which will be held in Seattle in May.

If they win the World Championship, they will win USD100,000 in cash, a USD50,000 Azure grant, and a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella!

1st Runner-Up : Team RailinNova from China

Team RailinNova developed the Rail Component Inspection Robot, which determines and identifies rail defects through multi-sensor monitoring. The solution strives to help railway companies to solve any issues more efficiently, and more economically.

For their excellence, Team RailinNova will receive a USD5,000 cash prize.

2nd Runner-Up : Team AidUSC from the Philippines

Team AidUSC came up with Aqua Check, a water contamination mobile application that enables detection of contamination by taking a photo of a water sample through a microscope. It won them third place, and a USD1,000 cash prize.

Special Mention : The Other 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Teams

Having watched all 12 teams in action, we must point out that all 12 Asian teams were truly exceptional. They impressed us, not only with the depth of knowledge, but also their poise and ability to think out-of-the-box in the conception and execution of their projects.

We also admire how their projects were created with social impact in mind. This gives us great hope in the new generation of entrepreneurs, who are seeking to improve society as a whole. We are all winners with young entrepreneurs of their caliber.

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The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Teams Introduce Themselves!

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On the eve of the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia competition in Sydney, we met with the top 12 Asian teams that will compete for a coveted spot in the 2019 Imagine Cup 2019 World Championship!

Let’s take a look at the twelve awesome Asian teams, and see the innovative ideas they will be pitching in the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Finals!

What Is The Imagine Cup?

Held and sponsored by Microsoft since 2003, the Imagine Cup is the world’s premier student technology competition. Teams of students from across the globe work together with mentors and industry leaders to bring their biggest and boldest ideas to life.

The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Finals

This year, Microsoft organised the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Finals in Sydney, Australia. Hundreds of teams from 17 Asian countries submitted their projects, but just twelve great teams won a shot to participate in the Asia Regional Finals.

These twelve teams will compete for US$20,000 in prizes on 12 February, but only one team will win the ultimate prize – an all-expenses paid trip to the World Finals in Seattle!

There, the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Champion will participate along the best and brightest teams from across the globe to claim the title of World Champion, US$100,000 cash prize, and the chance to take home the Imagine Cup!

The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Finalists

RailinNova

Country : China

Project : Rail Component Inspection Robot

Their Rail Component Inspection Robot (which combines AI and IoT) operates through automatic positioning, and identifies various defects through multi-sensor fusion in order to realise the replacement of workers in a rail inspection project.

Alpha-India

Country : India

Project : Spot – AR Based Product Filtering

Spot allows you to recognise packaged foods and check if it contains a certain ingredient or exhibits a certain character.

If a tourist visits India, he is unaware of what he can eat because packets have information written in a foreign language.

Caeli

Country : India

Project : Caeli – Breathe Freely

Caeli is a smart automated Anti-Pollution and Drug delivery mask specifically designed for Asthmatic and Chronic Respiratory Patients.

Caeli implements breakthrough features to improve the quality of life for respiratory patients living in polluted areas.

RVSAFE

Country : India

Project : RVSAFE

Disasters often strike, when we are least prepared to face them. They leave behind a trail of destruction, adversely affecting human life, and property.

The loss caused by disasters can be significantly reduced with better communication and proper management. Keeping this in mind, we designed RVSAFE, a one-stop solution for effectively handling any kind of disasters (natural or man-made).

CodeSell

Country : Indonesia

Project : Selection – Social Media

Sellution is a software as a service (SaaS) to help SMEs to perform social media marketing, not just in an easy way, but is also effective and efficient.

Sellution’s main features are optimizing marketing content, help finding the right audience, and recommendations.

Fhisherman

Country : Korea

Project : Fishing Phishing

Fishing Phishing by the Fhisherman team from Korea is a smartphone application that uses Machine Learning to analyse call voices in real-time.

It is designed to detect scam calls and warn the users!

SUFECS

Country : Malaysia

Project : Smart Urban Farming with Automated Environmental Controlled Systems (SUFECS)

SUFECS was developed to transform the farming experiences of urban farmer.

With SUFECS, farmers can monitor and control the artificial environment to achieve the most suitable environment for crops.

LookUP

Country : New Zealand

Project : LookUP

It is estimated one in five people in the world are dyslexic. However, most QnA platforms are completely text-based.

LookUP is a medium in which the dyslexic and non-dyslexic communities can effectively collaborate and learn from one another.

AidUSC

Country : The Philippines

Project : Aqua Check – Water Contamination Mobile Application

Aqua Check utilises Microsoft Azure’s Custom Vision to empower anyone to analyse for contamination by taking a photo of a water sample through a microscope.

Using Azure Web and Azure Maps, we are able to map the contamination locations.

InclusiveAR

Country : Singapore

Project : Mobile Augmented Reality Navigation Application for Wheelchair Users

This project aims to develop a mobile application, InclusiveAR, to assist wheelchair users in travelling.

InclusiveAR will map out wheelchair-accessible routes and provide visual guidance to direct wheelchair users to their destinations using AR.

The Straw Hats

Country : Sri Lanka

Project : Mind Probe

Our project aims to help people with disabilities like ALS, DMD, etc. which impair their ability to communicate.

We tap into their brain waves and use that to predict the number they are thinking and use that information to interface with a smartphone.

Maker Playground

Country : Thailand

Project : Maker Playground

Maker Playground is a next-generation IDE for IoT project development from developing device firmware, generating circuit diagram, programming your device, and designing an IoT dashboard all in one software.

See You @ The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia!

Congratulations to the 12 awesome teams!

Later today,, they will present their projects at the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Finals… and by 5 PM, we will find out who the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Champion will be!

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The Five 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Judges Revealed!

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The top 12 student developer teams from Asia are now in Sydney preparing to present a live demo of their projects. If they impress these five 2019 Imagine Cup Asia judges, they stand to win US$20,000 in prizes, and the coveted spot in the World Championship!

So who are the five 2019 Imagine Cup Asia judges? Let’s find out!

What Is The Imagine Cup?

The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Finals

This year, Microsoft organised the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Finals in Sydney, Australia. Hundreds of teams from 17 Asian countries submitted their projects, but just twelve great teams won a shot to participate in the Asia Regional Finals!

These twelve teams will compete for US$20,000 in prizes on 12 February, but only one team will win the ultimate prize – an all-expenses paid trip to the World Finals in Seattle!

The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Judges

The four 2019 Imagine Cup Asia judges will review each team’s project pitch and ultimately decide who will move forward to the 2019 World Championship this May for a chance to win USD100,000 plus a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Rachel Bondi

Marketing & Operations Director Microsoft Australia

As the Marketing and Operations Director, Rachel Bondi is responsible for the development and execution of marketing strategies across the full range of Microsoft’s products and services in Australia.

She also leads the business operations for the local subsidiary including long-term planning initiatives.

Kate Carruthers

Chief Data Officer at UNSW, Author and founder of IoT MAus

Kate Carruthers is Chief Data & Insights Officer for UNSW Sydney and is also an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the School of Computer Science & Engineering. She is co-founder of several startups, including IoTM, and currently advises a number of startups.

Justin Garrett

Director in Academic Ecosystems at Microsoft

Justin Garrett is Director in Academic Ecosystems at Microsoft. Justin and his team work closely with university faculty, product engineers, and Cloud Advocates to create engaging learning experiences for student developers.

In his spare time, he enjoys coaching his son’s soccer team, volunteering at an animal shelter with his daughter, and is an avid Pacific Northwest skier-mountaineer.

Mike Pesce

Author, Inventor & Futurist

Mark Pesce is a leading futurist, author, entrepreneur, and innovator. He has been at the forefront of the digital revolution for thirty-five years and is a sought-after keynote speaker for major conferences and leadership gatherings.

Emily Rich

Managing Director for Aus/NZ Microsoft for Startups

Emily co-founded Jemsoft, an AI company, which was then acquired in 2017. Emily went on to co-found M8 Ventures, a venture capital fund, whose concentration is working alongside founders to build out robust commercialisation and sustained growth strategies.

Emily joined Microsoft as Managing Director of Startups for ANZ where she is committed to building out startup initiatives for this region for both startups and scaleups.