23/08/2024

Low risk of Mpox in Singapore

Precautionary mpox screening to be set up at Changi, Seletar airports and sea checkpoints from 23 Aug 2024
Returning travellers, especially those coming back from countries affected by mpox, should seek immediate medical attention if they develop fever or rash within 21 days of their return

Temperature and visual screening will be carried out at Changi and Seletar airports from Aug 23 as a precautionary measure against the import of mpox from abroad. The Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Transport and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said they will enhance Singapore’s surveillance capabilities against the infectious viral disease at the borders.

Similar screening measures will also be implemented at sea checkpoints for crew and passengers arriving on ships from mpox-affected areas. MOH said that while there are no direct flights between Singapore and any country with an mpox outbreak, there will be temperature and visual screening at Changi and Seletar airports for inbound travellers and crew arriving on flights from places that may be exposed to the risk of mpox outbreaks.

Health advisories have also been put in place at air checkpoints, so that travellers will take the necessary personal precautions to avoid being infected. Travellers are strongly advised to follow the advisory, especially if they are travelling to and from affected countries.


Singapore steps up mpox precautionary measures; temperature and visual screening at air, sea checkpoints
Thirteen confirmed mpox cases have been detected in Singapore so far this year, all of which are of the less severe Clade 2 infections

Temperature and visual screening will conducted from Friday (Aug 23) for certain inbound travellers and crew at Changi and Seletar airports as a precautionary measure against mpox. Such screening will be conducted for those arriving on flights from places which may be exposed to the risk of mpox outbreaks, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday night.

So far, there are no direct flights between Singapore and any mpox outbreak country. Similar screening measures will also be implemented at sea checkpoints for crew and passengers arriving on ships from mpox affected areas. These precautionary measures will enhance Singapore's "surveillance capabilities" against mpox at its borders, said MOH.

Health advisories have been put in place at air checkpoints so that travellers will take the necessary personal precautions to avoid being infected. "Travellers are strongly advised to adhere to the advisory, especially if they are travelling to and from affected countries.


Singapore sets up precautionary border screenings for mpox virus
Singapore will set up mpox screening at border checkpoints, including Changi Airport

Singapore will screen for mpox symptoms at border checkpoints, boosting precautionary measures against the virus after its outbreak was declared a global health emergency.

Temperature and visual screening will start Friday at the island nation’s Changi and Seletar airports, as well as sea checkpoints, for inbound travellers and crew arriving from places where there’s risk of mpox outbreaks, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. Travellers who have fever, rash or symptoms compatible with mpox will be referred for medical assessment, it said. Asian countries like China, India and Pakistan have boosted surveillance for mpox recently. Thailand became the first country in Asia to detect a new mutated strain of the virus, clade Ib.

As of Thursday, “13 confirmed cases of mpox have been detected this year, all of which are of the less severe Clade II infections,” MOH said, adding that no Clade I cases have yet been detected in Singapore.


Singapore ramps up mpox screenings at airports, border checkpoints amid global outbreak
Travellers who have fever, rash or symptoms compatible with mpox will be referred for medical assessment

Singapore will screen for mpox symptoms at border checkpoints, boosting precautionary measures against the virus after its outbreak was declared a global health emergency.

Temperature and visual screening will start on Friday at the island nation’s Changi and Seletar airports, as well as sea checkpoints, for inbound travellers and crew arriving from places where there’s risk of mpox outbreaks, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. Travellers who have fever, rash or symptoms compatible with mpox will be referred for medical assessment, it said.

Asian countries like China, India and Pakistan have boosted surveillance for mpox recently. Thailand became the first country in Asia to detect a new mutated strain of the virus, clade Ib. As of Thursday, “13 confirmed cases of mpox have been detected this year, all of which are of the less severe Clade II infections,” MOH said, adding that no Clade I cases have yet been detected in Singapore.


Singapore reports first local linked case of monkeypox; total of 15 infections confirmed since June

Singapore on Friday (Aug 5) reported two new cases of monkeypox, including its first local linked case - a contact of a man whose infection was confirmed earlier this week. 

The 54-year-old man had no recent travel history, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in an update on its website. He tested positive on Friday and is a contact of a 33-year-old man known as Case 13. The other case that was confirmed on Friday is a 25-year-old man. He had no recent travel history and his infection is classified as local unlinked, said MOH.

The two new cases bring the total number of infections in the country since June to 15. Of the 15 cases, five are imported while 10 are local.


Singapore says it has detected 13 cases of mpox Clade 2 infection in 2024
A test tube labelled "Mpox virus positive" is held in this illustration taken August 20, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Singapore has detected 13 cases of mpox Clade 2 infections this year, the health ministry said in a bulletin on Thursday. To date, all mpox infections in the city state have been the "less severe" Clade 2 infections, it added.

Earlier on Thursday, Thailand confirmed an mpox case reported this week was the Clade 1b strain of the virus, the second confirmed case of the variant outside of Africa. Clade 1b has triggered global concern due to the ease with which it spreads though routine close contact. The World Health Organization declared the recent outbreak of the disease a public health emergency of international concern after the new variant was identified.

Singapore said it was monitoring the global situation closely. The health ministry said that as a precaution, it will from Friday screen the temperatures of travellers arriving at Changi and Seletar airports from places exposed to the risk of mpox outbreaks.


Singapore Detects 13 Cases Of New Deadly Variant; Precautionary Measures Imposed
Despite confirmation of the new variant, the health ministry has stated that the infections have been "less severe."

As mpox continues to spread across the globe, Singapore has detected 13 cases of the new deadly variant of the monkeypox virus. As per the Health Ministry, a total of 13 cases of the Mpox Clade 1b have been confirmed in the country.

Despite confirmation of the new variant, the health ministry has stated that the infections have been "less severe." Following the uptick in monkeypox infections, Singapore has also imposed precautionary measures. Temperature and visual screening will be conducted from Friday onwards for certain travellers and crew at the Changi and Seletar airports. The screenings will be conducted for those arriving on flights from places where mpox cases have been reported.

As per Singapore's Ministry of Health, the precautionary measures will "enhance Singapore's surveillance capabilities". "Travellers are strongly advised to adhere to the advisory, especially if they are travelling to and from affected countries. Travellers who have fever, rash and/or symptoms compatible with mpox will be referred for medical assessment," said the health ministry.


MOH says low risk of severe mpox variant spreading to S’pore
Singapore has had 10 cases of mpox since January 2024, which MOH confirmed were all from the milder form of the virus, known as Clade II

Despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring mpox a global public health emergency on Aug 14, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said the immediate public health risk of the outbreak in Africa to Singapore is assessed to be low.

“While there is cross-border spread of a potentially more severe mpox clade I in parts of Central and East Africa, the outbreak has thus far remained within the African continent, with no reported cases of clade I exported out of the African continent,” the ministry said on Aug 15. Singapore has had 10 cases of mpox since January 2024, which MOH confirmed were all from the milder form of the virus, known as clade II.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body. There were 32 cases here in 2023, and 19 cases in 2022 from the time reporting of the disease started at the end of June that year. To date, all infections detected in Singapore have been the milder clade II infections, mostly coming during the 2022-2023 global outbreak.

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Low immediate risk of mpox, but Singapore likely to see cases due to global connectivity: Ong Ye Kung
Mpox is expected to spread to Europe and the Middle East, and "probably Singapore will be one of the first places to find cases because of our flight connections", says the Health Minister

The immediate risk of mpox to Singapore is low, but given the country's global flight connections, it is likely the virus, which is rapidly spreading in parts of Central and East Africa, will make its way here soon. Speaking at an Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) event in Sembawang on Saturday (Aug 17), Health Minister Ong Ye Kung noted that the current risk is low as Singapore does not have any direct flights to and from the affected areas in Africa.

The situation, however, is "very worrying", said Mr Ong, adding that the infectious disease is expected to spread to Europe and the Middle East, and "probably Singapore will be one of the first places to find (mpox) cases because of our flight connections". The surging mpox outbreak in Africa was declared an emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier this week and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said on Friday said more imported cases to Europe were "highly likely".

A new variant, known as clade Ib, is also spreading and it appears to be more contagious through routine close contact, particularly among children. The Congo has recorded more than 15,600 potential cases and 548 deaths from mpox since the beginning of the year.

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25 cases of mpox in Singapore from September to December
Singapore made the viral disease a reportable disease in mid-2022 following a global outbreak when the disease appeared in many countries where it is not endemic


Twenty of all the cases were locally transmitted, although not all sources of infection are known, said a Ministry of Health (MOH) spokesman. He said the “majority” of the 12 imported cases were local residents who had travelled to countries in South America and South-east Asia. Of the known local transmissions, one case was linked to an imported case, and two cases were linked to an earlier local unlinked case. Both clusters are now closed, as there have been no new cases linked to them for the last 42 days, or two incubation periods. There were no family clusters, and the rest of the cases were unlinked.

Monkeypox was renamed mpox in Singapore in February 2023, in line with World Health Organisation guidelines that aim to avoid the stigma linked to the original name.


2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Singapore

The 2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Singapore is a part of the global outbreak of human mpox caused by the West African clade of the monkeypox virus. According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), Singapore's first imported mpox case was reported on 20 June 2022. It was the first ever confirmed case in Southeast Asia.

Mpox (/ˈɛmpɒks/, EM-poks; formerly known as monkeypox) is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and other animals. Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. The illness is usually mild, and most of infected individuals recover within a few weeks without treatment. The time from exposure to the onset of symptoms ranges from five to twenty-one days, and symptoms typically last from two to four weeks. However, cases may be severe, especially in children, pregnant women, or people with suppressed immune systems.

The disease is caused by Orthopoxvirus monkeypox, formerly "monkeypox virus", a zoonotic virus in the genus Orthopoxvirus. The variola virus, which causes smallpox, is also in this genus. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infected skin or body fluids, including sexual contact. People remain infectious from the onset of symptoms until all the lesions have scabbed and healed. The virus may spread from infected animals through handling infected meat or via bites or scratches. Diagnosis can be confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing a lesion for the virus's DNA.


What to know about monkeypox

Monkeypox, typically rare, is spreading around the world. Here’s a quick look at everything you need to know about this viral disease.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox is a “rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus.” Part of the same family of viruses as smallpox, monkeypox has similar yet milder symptoms and is seldom deadly. Monkeypox was discovered in 1958 in research-lab monkeys. Despite the name “monkeypox,” the origins of the pox-like disease are still unknown but are believed to have come from rodents in Africa. The first case of monkeypox in a human was reported in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Before the 2022 outbreak, monkeypox was limited to cases in African countries, linked to travel to countries where the disease is prevalent, or connected to animals imported from such countries. The 2022 outbreak has now spread throughout the world. People can get the disease from infected animals in several ways. Transmission could occur if a person is scratched or bitten by an infected animal, or if they prepare or eat meat or use products from an infected animal.


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