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Singapore has confirmed two more cases of Influenza A (H1N1-2009), bringing the total number of confirmed cases here to 49. All of the 49 cases, except one who was a close contact of a confirmed case, are imported cases with a travel history. The breakdown is as follows:
Country of Origin of Travel of Confirmed Cases (as of 16th June 2009)
Countries |
Number of Cases |
Australia |
25 |
United States |
16 |
Philippines |
5 |
Thailand |
1 |
Canada |
1 |
Total |
48 |
So far, 22 patients have been discharged. The remaining 27 patients (21st - 28th, 30th - 32nd, 34th - 49th cases) are still in the hospital and their conditions remain stable.
48th Confirmed Case
The 48th case is a 56-year-old German man who works in Singapore as a researcher at Biopolis. He went to Philadelphia, USA on 28 May to attend a conference. He developed symptoms on 4 June while he was there. He returned to Singapore on SQ15 via Seoul at 0100 hours on 8 June. He was seated at row 52. He was not picked up by the thermal scanner at the airport as he did not have a fever then. He took a taxi home from the airport, and stayed at home for the rest of the day. He went to work from 9 to 12 June. On 11 June evening, he went to a function at the French Ambassador's Residence attended by about 70 persons. On 13 June, he went to a shopping mall and had social activities at Clarke Quay. On 14 June, he attended a concert and did more shopping.On 15 June, he did not go to work in the morning and called a 993 ambulance to send him to CDC2 around noon time. Laboratory results confirmed his infection at 2140 hours on 15 June.
49th Confirmed Case
The 49th case is a 26-year-old Indonesian man who works in Singapore. He went to Melbourne with friends for a holiday on 5 June. He developed symptoms on 11 June while he was there. He returned to Singapore together with his companions on SQ228 at 2133 hours on 14 June. He was seated at row 61, and was on the same flight as the 43rd, 44th and 45th cases who were seated at row 43. He was not picked up by the thermal scanner at the airport as he did not have a fever then. He and his friend took a taxi home from the airport. On 15 June morning, he sought medical attention at a GP clinic, and was given 2 days of medical leave. Before he took a taxi to TTSH ED, he did some shopping first. Laboratory results confirmed his infection at 2140 hours on 15 June.
Contact Tracing
Contact tracing is ongoing for the two cases. Passengers seated within rows rows 59-63 on SQ228 on 14 June who have not been contacted by MOH yet should call the MOH hotline at 1800-333 9999 to enable us to check on their health condition expeditiously. All close contacts identified will be quarantined and provided with antiviral prophylaxis. No contact tracing will be done for the close contacts on SQ15 on 8 June as the seven day quarantine period from the last day of contact with the 48th case has passed.
MOH Advisory to all travellers
Unlike the earlier imported cases, some of the recent imported cases have engaged in extensive community activities such as working, shopping and participating in mass activities since their arrival here. This has considerably increased the difficulty of contact tracing and increased the risk of community spread here in Singapore.
We would like to reiterate that travellers who have been to countries that have been considered by WHO to have sustained community transmission or to be in transition towards community transmission, as well as countries that have been reported to have exported cases (ie Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America) should immediately call 993 for an ambulance to bring them to CDC2 for assessment if they develop symptoms within seven days of their return. Even if well after their return, they should also minimise their social activities and contacts so that should they become infected, they would not infect too many people.
For people who are planning to travel, they should check the MOH website for the latest update on the list of countries with confirmed cases of H1N1 (refer to Annex).
For more information on Influenza A (H1N1-2009), please access MOH’s website at www.moh.gov.sg, call our hotline at 1800-333 9999, or visit www.flu.gov.sg.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH
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