Entering Singapore through Port and Airport, temperature checked to prevent monkey pox

Jakarta –

Temperature and visual checks will be carried out at Changi and Seletar Airports, Singapore starting on 23 August 2024. This policy is being implemented to prevent entry from overseas.

Quoted from Times of the StraitsOn Friday (23/8/2024), the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Transport, Immigration and Checkpoint Authority said they will increase surveillance of this infectious disease in border areas.

Similar screening measures are also being implemented at maritime checkpoints for crew members and passengers arriving from mpox-affected areas. Even though there are no direct flights to Singapore from countries affected by the outbreak, surveillance will continue to increase.

Health warnings are also in place at checkpoints so travelers can take precautions to prevent infection. Travelers are strongly advised to follow this advice, especially if they are traveling to and from countries affected by mpox.

Those with fever, rash and/or mpox-like symptoms will be referred for medical examination. As of August 22, there were 13 cases of mpox that were class II or less severe.

The Ministry of Health said there have been no cases so far of class I mpox in Singapore. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on August 14 that mpox was a global public health emergency for the second time in two years.

At the same time, infectious disease experts say that visitors from countries where mpox circulates, or Singaporeans returning to their country, do not need quarantine if they do not show any symptoms.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been more than 27,000 cases and more than 1,300 deaths since January 2023 in the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Most cases were reported in children under 15 years of age.

(ily/ara)