Mpox Alert in Singapore? Authorities Screen Incoming Passengers for Potential Symptoms

Singapore: The government in Singapore is on alert and is closely monitoring any potential cases of mpox in the country by screening the incoming passengers of possible symptoms.

The scare around mpox continues to increase amid rising cases in multiple countries including Africa, Thailand and Sweden.

Mpox Alert in Singapore? Govt Screening Incoming Passengers

The Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Transport and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said they will enhance Singapore’s surveillance capabilities against the infectious disease at the borders.

Temperature and visual screening will be carried out at Changi and Seletar airports from Friday onwards as a precautionary measure against mpox, after one confirmed case of a potentially more serious variant each was reported in Sweden and Thailand.

Similar screening measures will also be implemented at sea checkpoints for crew and passengers arriving on ships from mpox-affected areas, reported The Straits Times.

“We should be on alert. We should expect it to arrive in Singapore, and then when it does, respond appropriately and effectively,” the The Straits Times quoted Singapore Health Minister Ong Ye Kung as saying.

No Direct Flights from Singapore to Any Country with Mpox Outbreak

The 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 outbreak of the viral disease.

Singapore Govt Issues Health Advisory for All Passengers

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. Those found to have fever, rash and/or symptoms compatible with Mpox will be referred for medical assessment.

WHO Declares Mpox As Global Health Emergency

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on August 14 declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years. 

As there were no reported cases of the more severe clade I exported out of the African continent, MOH said then that the immediate public health risk to Singapore was low.

According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been more than 27,000 cases and more than 1,300 deaths since January 2023 in the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

A high proportion of cases have been reported in children younger than 15 years of age.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in the eastern Congo, and many cases in several neighbouring countries are “very worrying”.

(Inputs from AP)