Singapore announces quarantine measures for close contracts of mpox infected patients

In a return to curbs last seen at the height of COVID-19, Singapore announced that the close contacts of suspected cases of mpox would be quarantined, as the city-state takes up preventive measures to minimize the spread of the virus.

Upon the confirmation of the lethal clade I case, the close contacts of a patient would be quarantined in a designated government facility for about three weeks, which is the incubation period observed in Africa.

The appearance of the more dangerous strain of mpox, clade I, led to the World Health Organization to declare mpox as a global health emergency in mid-August.

Singapore has not yet detected the more lethal clade I strain, and all the 14 mpox cases found in Singapore so far have been caused by the milder IIb variant, according to a Bloomberg report.

While the mpox clade I virus appears to be more infectious, it is far less transmissible compared to respiratory viruses such as Influenza or COVID-19, said the authorities.

Additionally, the Singaporean Ministry of Health has put in place temperature and visual screening at Changi and Seletar airports for inbound travelers and crew arriving from places where they might be exposed to mpox Clade I outbreaks.

Similar screening measures have also been implemented at sea checkpoints for crew and passengers arriving on ships from mpox-affected areas.

“Based on current understanding of the disease epidemiology of mpox Clade I, and the fact that contact tracing and quarantine will further suppress transmission, population-wide mpox vaccination is not recommended for now,” the health authorities added.