SINGAPORE — Singaporean authorities have confirmed the city-state’s second imported case of monkeypox infection. The case is a 36-year-old male Indian national residing in Singapore who had recently returned from the United States, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on its website on Thursday (July 7). That brings the total number of such cases here to three – all men – including Wednesday’s sole local case and an earlier imported case confirmed in June. The Indian national is not linked to the other two cases, the MOH said, adding that contact tracing is ongoing. The man tested positive for monkeypox on Thursday after developing anal discomfort on June 28 and other symptoms, including rashes typical of monkeypox, progressing over the next few days, MOH said. He had sought medical attention on Wednesday and was subsequently transferred to the National Center for Infectious Diseases the same day, where he remains in stable condition. More than 6,000 cases of monkeypox have now been reported from 59 countries and territories in the current outbreak, according to the latest update from the World Health Organization (WHO). The UN agency will reconvene a committee meeting to advise on whether to declare the outbreak a global health emergency – the WHO’s highest level of alert – in the week starting July 18 or earlier, the Director-General said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday in a mock news. conference. At its previous meeting on June 27, the committee decided that the outbreak was not yet a health emergency. Monkeypox, a usually mild viral infection that causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions, has been spreading worldwide since May. The fatality rate in previous outbreaks of the currently circulating strain of monkeypox was about 1 percent. While patients usually recover within two to four weeks, a small percentage of those infected can become seriously ill or even die. Young children, pregnant women or immunocompromised people are particularly vulnerable to complications. The story continues The risk to the general public remains low since transmission of the infection requires close physical or prolonged contact. Given these reasons, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung in a written parliamentary reply on Monday said monkeypox is unlikely to become a global pandemic like COVID-19. “Unlike vaccination against COVID-19, mass vaccination of the entire population with smallpox vaccine is not recommended as a preventive strategy for monkeypox, according to international recommendations and the global response so far,” wrote Ong. Although the smallpox vaccine is up to 85 percent effective in preventing monkeypox, it has potentially serious side effects, according to Ong. For the general population, the risks of complications outweigh the benefits because they are at low risk of becoming infected, he added. Got a story tip? Email: [email protected] Stay updated on the go: Subscribe to the Yahoo Singapore Telegram channel You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food and Games YouTube channels.
