The man developed anal discomfort on June 28, 2022 and other symptoms progressively over the next few days. (PHOTOS: Getty Images)
SINGAPORE — Authorities in Singapore have confirmed the city-state’s second imported case of monkeypox infection.
The case is a 36-year-old male Indian citizen who lives in Singapore and 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 a rash typical of monkeypox, progressively over the next few days, the MOH said.
He sought medical attention on Wednesday and was subsequently transported to the National Center for Infectious Diseases later that day, where he is currently listed in stable condition.
More than 6,000 cases of monkeypox have already 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 declaring the outbreak a global health emergency – the WHO’s highest level of alert – in the week starting July 18 or earlier, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday during a virtual news conference.
At its previous meeting on June 27, the commission 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 strain of monkeypox currently circulating is 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. Those who are particularly vulnerable to complications are young children, pregnant women or people with weakened immune systems.
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The risk to the general public remains low, given that 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 was unlikely to become a global pandemic like COVID-19.
“Unlike the vaccination against COVID-19, mass vaccination of the entire population with the smallpox vaccine is not recommended as a preventive strategy against monkeypox, consistent with international recommendations and the global response to date,” Ong wrote.
Although the smallpox vaccine is up to 85 percent effective in preventing monkeypox, it has potentially severe side effects, according to Ong.
For the general population, the risks of complications outweigh the benefits because they are at low risk of infection, he added.
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