Singapore confirms 13 cases of monkeypox, all caused by Clade 2 strain

On August 23, the Singapore Ministry of Health announced information about 13 cases of monkeypox recorded since the beginning of the year.

Singapore recorded 13 cases of monkeypox infection caused by the Clade 2 strain in 2024. Photo: Representational

Notably, all of these cases were infected with the Clade 2 strain of the virus, a variant that is thought to be less severe than other strains.

To strengthen disease prevention and control measures, Singapore will start conducting temperature checks on passengers arriving from areas at risk of monkeypox outbreaks at the city's two major airports, Changi and Seletar, from August 23. This is part of the country's expanded disease surveillance and prevention strategy.

Earlier, on August 22, Thailand reported the first case in Asia of the Clade 1b variant of the monkeypox virus. This is also the second confirmed case of Clade 1b outside of Africa. This variant is causing concern among experts because of its ability to spread quickly and the higher risk of death.

On the same day, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that Côte d'Ivoire, a country in West Africa, recorded cases of infection with the Clade 2 strain of the monkeypox virus. This is the first time the country has reported Clade 2 since the outbreak began in 2022.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, President Felix Tshisekedi approved $10 million to support the response to a serious monkeypox outbreak. The DRC Ministry of Health reported that the country has recorded 16,700 cases of the disease, with more than 570 deaths.

On August 14, WHO declared a global public health emergency related to the outbreak of monkeypox in Africa, due to the emergence of the Clade 1b variant and its ability to spread rapidly.

On August 15, Sweden confirmed the first case of the Clade 1b variant, marking the appearance of this variant outside Africa.

Although Singapore has only recorded cases of Clade 2, the Ministry of Health continues to monitor the global epidemic situation and implement strict control measures to protect public health and prevent the spread of monkeypox.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/singapore-xac-nhan-13-ca-mac-benh-dau-mua-khi-deu-do-chung-clade-2-d223145.html