Singapore is likely to see a rise in mpox, formerly monkeypox, due to its global connectivity, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung stated recently. The lawmaker, however, said that the immediate risk of the infectious disease in Singapore is low currently. The virus has been spreading rapidly in parts of Central and East Africa, forcing the World Health Organization to declare it a public health emergency.
In 2024, Singapore has recorded 10 cases of mpox till July 27. Last year, the 32 cases of the infectious viral disease was recorded in the city-state. The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed on Thursday that all cases in Singapore have been of the clade II strain.
The Health Minister made the comments while addressing an Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) event in Sembawang on August 17.
Minister Ong said that the situation is worrying, adding that “probably Singapore will be one of the first places to find (mpox) cases because of our flight connections”.
The minister also spoke about the country’s readiness in fighting the outbreak.
“There are several strains, one major strain that we’ve been encountering that’s called clade II. Clade II has a fairly low case fatality rate, about 0.2 percent,” he added, as quoted by CNA. “It is not very, very high compared to other endemic diseases that we’ve been dealing with.”
The minister, however, said that the strain prevalent in Africa, clade I, has a fatality rate of around 3.5 percent to 4 percent. Another variant, clade Ib, accounts for 0.7 percent death rate.
“Of course, these are numbers recorded from Africa … Africa has many healthcare challenges, and coming to Singapore, with our healthcare system and our ability to treat the cases, we hope we can bring it down significantly,” he said.
The minister urged Singaporeans to “live life normally”.
“Stay healthy, because if you are healthy, less likely you’ll be affected by all these diseases,” he said. “If you’re unwell, you start having lesions, you know, like chicken pox type of rashes and chicken pox type of symptoms. Please isolate yourself. Inform, go see a doctor, inform the people close to you so that they can take medication.”
The Health Ministry said it has informed all medical practitioners and healthcare institutions to be vigilant in detecting and reporting all mpox cases, including those suspected of clade I infections.
All travellers have also been directed to report mpox-related symptoms, like fever or rash, as well as their travel history. This will allow the country to detect cases early and prevent an outbreak in Singapore.
People suspected to have been affected by the clade I strain of the mpox will be isolated in hospitals. Close contacts of confirmed cases will be quarantined for up to three weeks and monitored, MOH stated.
