Fri. Mar 22nd, 2024
Monkeypox Singapore

TL;DR – The patient who tested positive for monkeypox is currently warded at NCID.

Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed an imported case of monkeypox infection in Singapore on Jun 21. The patient is a 42-year-old British flight attendant who was in Singapore in Singapore between Jun 15 and Jun 17, and again on Jun 19.

According to MOH, the man tested positive for monkeypox on Jun 20. He is currently warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and his condition is stable. Contact tracing is ongoing, said MOH.

Before you get into a panic frenzy, MOH has assured that the risk of transmission to visitors at places where the patient visited is low. This is because data has shown that monkeypox transmits through close physical or prolonged contact.

Besides, back in 2019 when an imported case was detected in Singapore, none of the infected patient’s close contacts were found to be infectious eventually.

Regardless, it’s always a good thing to be well-informed and so here’s some helpful information about the lesser-known monkeypox:

Mode of transmission

Transmission occurs when a person comes into close contact with the virus through an infected animal, infected person, or contaminated environment.

For example, a bite or scratch from an infected animal or direct contact with the blood or body fluids of the infected animal may lead to animal-to-human transmission. In human-to-human transmission, exposure to respiratory droplets or direct physical contact with the blood or body fluids of the infected individual are some causes of transmission.

Symptoms of Monkeypox

Fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, lack of energy, and swollen lymph nodes are among the common symptoms at the beginning of the disease. As the disease progresses, the patient develops rash, often starting from the face before spreading to other parts of the body.

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While serious complications may occur in some individuals, the good news is that-

Monkeypox is typically self-limiting

This means that the disease will typically go away on its own, with symptoms usually resolving spontaneously within 14 to 21 days. Treatment for the disease is usually targeted to improve symptoms and support recovery.

Precautions to take

As with most viral diseases, maintaining a high standard of personal hygiene is key. Avoiding direct contact with the skin lesions of those infected or objects that have been contaminated with infectious fluids is also important. Just think about how chicken pox gets transmitted!

If you do think that you might have been infected, do exercise social responsibility and avoid contact with others. By now, we should already be well-trained for this after surviving COVID-19, shouldn’t we?

By Joey Wee

I am nice, most of the time!