Singapore airports, sea checkpoints screening arrivals for monkeypox

The move comes as part of heightened surveillance efforts by Singapore’s Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transport, and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, the Straits Times reported.

Changi and Seletar airports will begin conducting temperature checks and visual screenings for passengers arriving from regions where monkeypox is a known risk. Similar protocols will be enforced at sea checkpoints for individuals arriving by ship from monkeypox-affected areas. Those exhibiting symptoms such as fever or rash will be referred for medical evaluation.

Singapore has recorded 13 cases of monkeypox this year, Bloomberg reported. All travelers are required to report any symptoms related to monkeypox, and suspected cases will be quarantined in hospitals. However, individuals arriving from countries with reported monkeypox cases, and Singaporeans returning home, will not be required to quarantine unless they show symptoms.

The emergence of a new, deadlier strain of monkeypox, Clade 1b, has sparked concerns among several countries, with the WHO declaring a global public health emergency over the new variant.

Thailand on Thursday confirmed Asia’s first known case of the new monkeypox variant, a 66-year-old European who landed in Bangkok on August 14. Clade 1b causes death in about 3.6% of cases, with children more at risk, according to the WHO.

Vietnam’s health ministry on Monday instructed local authorities to implement monitoring measures for monkeypox at their borders. The country reported its first monkeypox case in October 2022. Since then, the health ministry has documented over 68 cases, including six fatalities, most of whom having a history of HIV.

Monkeypox is a viral illness that spreads through close contact and manifests with flu-like symptoms and pus-filled blisters. While most cases are mild, the disease can lead to severe complications in immunocompromised individuals, children, pregnant women and the elderly.

Globally, between 2021 and 2023, over 92,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported, resulting in 167 deaths. The majority of infections have been among men who have sex with men and individuals with multiple sexual partners.

Although vaccines are available in many developed countries, low-income nations face challenges in securing adequate supplies, hindering efforts to control the spread of the disease.