Singapore reports third local case of monkeypox infection

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported its third local case of monkeypox in Singapore on Thursday (Jul 14), taking the total number of cases reported in the country since June to six.

In an update on its website on Thursday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that the patient is a 41-year-old Singaporean man. 

He is not linked to any of the other monkeypox cases announced earlier by MOH, said the ministry.

The man is currently warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), and his condition is stable, said MOH.

The man developed rashes on Jul 9. He sought medical care on Jul 12 and was admitted to NCID the next day.

Contact tracing is ongoing.

This marks the sixth monkeypox case announced in Singapore since June. Three of the cases are imported, and the other three are local. None of the cases so far are linked.

Monkeypox is a viral disease that is typically self-limiting, with patients recovering within 14 to 21 days. 

Those who are infected usually experience fever, headache, muscle ache, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, lethargy and rash.

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

"There are no specific proven or safe treatments or vaccines available for monkeypox infection."

A total of 9,200 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 63 countries, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday.

The WHO will hold a second meeting of its expert monkeypox committee on Jul 21 to decide whether the outbreak constitutes a global health emergency.