First cases of Influenza A H1N1 reached Singapore shore |
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Since we last reported outbreak of swine flu in Mexico, 2 things have changed; firstly the name of the flu has been renamed to H1N1 flu; and secondly the very first case of confirmed case of H1N1 infection reach Singapore shore on May 27; and as on May 31, 5 cases have been confirmed in Singapore.
Interestingly, all the cases confirmed were returning from overseas. The very first patient was a 22 year-old Singaporean woman who was in New York from May 14- 24 & returned Singapore from New York on SQ25 on 26 May at 06.30hrs. She began to develop a cough while onboard, but passed thermal scanner uneventfully as she did not have fever then. As there is no known cases of community spread within Singapore as of this message's posting, ie. all the confirmed cases have been imported, there should not be any reason to be overtly alarmed. Nonetheless, it would be predictably possible to have local spread due to the density of our population, the locality of Singapore being a regional traffic hub and the abundance of enclosed spaces. That said, the most important strategy is for everyone to be vigilant and be socially responsible by maintaining high standards of personal hygiene. This means covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you sneeze or cough, and washing your hands frequently with soap and water, especially after contact with respiratory secretions (e.g., after sneezing and coughing). We also need the cooperation of everyone to be socially responsible, including taking necessary precautionary steps like wearing a mask when you're not feeling well. A designated ambulance number – 993 – has been set up for the patient/public who suspect they might have been infected or suspect they have developed the H1N1 flu symptoms after returning from high risk hotspots like north America, Mexico etc. As the school holiday is starting shortly, members of the public are advised to exercise caution by avoiding the affected areas if possible. In the event that travel is unavoidable, the public is advised to take precautionary measures such as avoiding crowded areas and maintaining high standards of personal hygiene at all times. 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
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