Singapore and South Korea report first monkeypox cases
- The patient in Singapore is a British flight attendant who had flown in and out of the city state around mid-June
- South Korea has reported two suspected cases, and diagnostic tests are being conducted, health authorities say. Worldwide, confirmed cases now exceed 2,500
The patient in Singapore, who tested positive on June 20, is a 42-year-old British man who works as a flight attendant and had flown in and out of the island country around mid-June, the health ministry said in a statement.
He is in stable condition in a ward at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases in Singapore, the ministry said.
Thirteen close contacts of the man were identified as of Tuesday, and all will be placed under quarantine for 21 days since their last contact with him, the statement added.
Contact tracing is ongoing for affected flights and for the duration of the man’s stay in Singapore.
The last monkeypox case detected in the Southeast Asian city state was three years ago.
01:28
What is monkeypox and should we be worried that it’s spreading?
A Korean citizen, who is receiving treatment at the Incheon Medical Centre after showing symptoms while entering the country from Germany on Tuesday afternoon, has tested positive, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It did not provide details of the individual.
The agency raised the alert level for the infectious disease to “caution”, the second of the country’s four levels, upon confirmation of the virus case.
It said it will step up monitoring by designating areas that require strengthened quarantine management, mainly among people from countries where monkeypox occurs frequently.
China calls for overseas arrivals to be monitored for signs of monkeypox
“The KDCA has been pushing for utilising secured [monkeypox] vaccines and treatments … and additional introduction of those, while the agency is continuously expanding its diagnostic testing capabilities,” KDCA Commissioner Peck Kyong-ran said.
“Among those who have been exposed (to monkeypox virus) through physical contact with confirmed patients, those with medium or high risks will receive vaccination under their consent.”
The country, however, is not currently reviewing ring vaccination for monkeypox, she added.
Earlier on Wednesday, KDCA reported two suspected cases of monkeypox virus, but the other case, a foreign national who entered the country on Monday after showing symptoms of blisters and sore throat, tested negative. The agency said this patient was diagnosed with another disease without giving details.
Separately on Wednesday, President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered health authorities to “step up quarantine management of foreign entrants at airports … and to be fully prepared to distribute vaccines and treatments to the medical field.”
WHO considers renaming monkeypox over fears of stigma and racism
Yoon also ordered to swiftly complete the introduction of third-generation vaccines and antiviral drugs for monkeypox.
Earlier in June, South Korea designated monkeypox as a second-degree infectious disease, according to its four-tier system, with 22 contagious diseases including Covid-19, cholera and chickenpox being included in the same category.
Monkeypox is a viral disease and infected individuals can experience symptoms typically ranging from fever to muscle ache and skin rash. Most patients recover within two to three weeks though some can develop serious complications, Singapore’s health ministry said.
Transmission of the virus typically requires direct contact with bodily fluids, infectious sores, or contaminated material in large respiratory droplets.
Australia, which on May 20 reported its first case, had confirmed eight as of June 10.
More than 35 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported outbreaks of the viral disease, and confirmed cases now exceed 2,500.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
