MOH says risk of severe mpox strain spreading to S’pore is low despite WHO’s global emergency declaration

MOH says risk of mpox Clade I spreading to Singapore is low

The Ministry of Health (MOH) says there is a low risk of a more severe strain of mpox — formerly known as monkeypox — spreading to Singapore.

The statement, issued on Thursday (15 Aug), comes shortly after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the virus a global health emergency.

MOH noted that while there is cross-border spread of the “potentially more severe” mpox Clade 1 strain, such cases have remained within the African continent.

However, at the time of writing, a person infected with the more dangerous strain has been detected in Sweden — the first such case outside Africa.

So far, all mpox cases detected in Singapore have been the milder Clade II strain, mostly from the global outbreak between 2022 and 2023.

60 cases of mpox strain reported in Singapore

Symptoms of both mpox variants include high fever, skin rashes, severe headaches, and enlarged lymph nodes.

However, patients infected with the Clade I strain are likelier to develop severe disease as compared to the other variant.

The health ministry states that the virus spreads through close contact with

• Respiratory tract secretions
• Skin lesion
• Bodily fluid from infected person or animal
• Recently contaminated objects or environments

Singapore has reported 60 cases of mpox since 2022:

• 2022: 18 cases
• 2023: 32 cases
• 2024: 10 cases

Also read: 2 Local Monkeypox Cases Over Last 4 Months, S’pore Will Call Disease ‘Mpox’ Instead

2 Local Monkeypox Cases Over Last 4 Months, S’pore Will Call Disease ‘Mpox’ Instead

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Featured image adapted from WHO and Google Maps.