Nipah virus: Singapore to conduct temperature screening at airport for flights from affected areas

SINGAPORE: Singapore will conduct temperature screening for travellers arriving on flights from areas where Nipah virus outbreaks have been reported, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Wednesday (Jan 28).

The Ministry of Manpower, meanwhile, will step up surveillance of newly arrived migrant workers from South Asia and engage the ministry's primary care providers to increase vigilance.

These are among several measures that will be implemented as part of Singapore's initial response to the Nipah virus outbreak in West Bengal, where two cases have been reported.

Singapore is closely monitoring the outbreak, which is the seventh in India since 2001.

The Nipah virus is transmitted mainly through exposure to bats and consumption of date palm sap or fruits contaminated by bats.

CDA said that ongoing bio-surveillance programmes, which have been monitoring Singapore's bat populations since 2011, have not detected the virus in the country.

"The outbreak in West Bengal, however, is reportedly between humans, with two cases so far," said CDA. "Human-to-human transmission is rare but does occur." 

In the current outbreak, transmission was reported to be within hospitals. No sustained community transmission is currently reported.

In addition to the temperature screening, Singapore will also require medical practitioners and laboratories to notify CDA immediately of all confirmed and suspected cases of the virus.

Meanwhile, CDA has alerted hospitals and emergency departments to be vigilant for Nipah virus infections in patients with compatible symptoms and recent travel history to West Bengal, the agency said.

Health advisories will also be disseminated to travellers at points of entry to Singapore. They will instruct inbound travellers to seek medical attention if they are unwell after travel, and provide outbound travellers with health precautions they can take.

Finally, CDA will reach out to its counterparts in South Asia to better understand the situation.

"Work is ongoing to establish a global platform for countries to report genome sequencing of detected cases," the agency added.

"Should new information emerge to indicate an increased public health risk to Singapore, CDA stands ready to introduce additional public health measures."

Sharing CDA's media release in a Facebook post, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said: "We need to be on alert all the time, as deadly outbreaks will happen from time to time, in different parts of the world.

"The key thing we need to watch out for in such outbreaks is sustained human-to-human transmission. If transmission is only between animals to humans, or human to human in a very close setting after contacting human fluids, there is much less worry because the virus will not spread far and wide, like SARS or COVID-19."

CDA advised individuals travelling to areas where Nipah virus outbreaks have been reported to maintain vigilance and adopt the following health precautions:

• Avoid food and drinks potentially contaminated by bats, such as raw date palm sap, and fruit found on the ground
• Avoid direct contact with unwell individuals
• Avoid direct contact with animals, especially bats and pigs, and bat roosting areas
• Consume fully cooked food and fruits that can be washed and peeled
• Maintain good personal hygiene

Travellers who develop Nipah virus symptoms during or after travel should seek prompt medical attention and inform their doctors of their recent travel and any potential exposure to raw date palm sap, bats or unwell individuals, CDA added.

The virus has an estimated fatality rate of 40 per cent to 75 per cent, and can cause illnesses ranging from respiratory distress to brain inflammation.

The first symptoms are usually a sudden flu-like illness, headache or fever. Others include sore throat, muscle ache, vomiting, dizziness and drowsiness. Pneumonia and other respiratory problems may also occur.

Several other countries have also implemented measures to respond to the outbreak.

Thailand began screening passengers on Sunday at three airports that receive direct flights from West Bengal – Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports in Bangkok, and Phuket airport.

Cambodia, Indonesia and Nepal are also screening for the virus.

Malaysia's Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said on Tuesday that the country's health security system is "robust, tested and ready".

"We are scaling our response proportionately to keep you safe," he added.

Vietnam's Health Ministry on Tuesday urged strict food safety practices and directed local authorities to strengthen monitoring at border crossings, health facilities and communities, while China said it was enhancing disease prevention measures in border areas.