SINGAPORE: 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 Health Ministry said in a statement. Travellers who have fever, rash or symptoms compatible with mpox will be referred for medical assessment, it said.
Singapore has detected 13 cases of mpox Clade 2 infections this year, the 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.
