As monkeypox cases are rising globally, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung previously warned that the disease may reach Singapore in due time.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has now issued an alert for one confirmed Monkeypox case involving a transit traveller.
But thankfully, the ministry said there is no significant risk of community transmission as the traveller did not enter Singapore.
According to a press release on Monday (6 Jun), MOH said a traveller who transited through Singapore to Australia had tested positive for monkeypox.
On 1 Jun, the man departed from Barcelona and arrived at Changi Airport the next day.
Source: Changi Airport
He then stayed in the transit holding area until he departed for Sydney, Australia, the same day. MOH noted that he did not visit other areas in Changi Airport.
Upon arriving in Sydney on 3 Jun, he tested positive for monkeypox.
Since the case did not enter Singapore or interact with persons in the community, MOH said there is currently no significant risk of community transmission.
Despite this, the ministry has taken precautionary measures.
They have conducted contact tracing for two affected flights and anyone who might have come into contact with the traveller at the airport transit area.
Following that, they found no close contacts. Therefore, there was no need for quarantines.
However, 13 people who may have casual contact with the traveller have been put on phone surveillance for 21 days.
They will receive daily phone calls to keep track of their health status until the end of the monitoring period.
If they report symptoms suggesting a monkeypox infection, they will be medically assessed and conveyed to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) for further evaluation if necessary.
Singapore is a commercial and international hub. Hence, it’s not surprising that a monkeypox case had been detected among travellers.
Thankfully, in this case, the confirmed case did not leave Changi Airport’s transit holding area and had no close contacts here.
As MOH is treating the matter with an abundance of caution, we hope the community remains safe from monkeypox infection for as long as possible.
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Featured image adapted from @shawnanggg on Unsplash.
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