Singapore enhances port screenings amid global mpox spike

In response to the potential threat of mpox outbreaks, Singapore is stepping up its health protocols by implementing precautionary checks at its ports. Starting on 23 August 2024, travellers arriving at Changi and Seletar airports will undergo temperature and visual screenings. Similar measures will also be enforced at sea checkpoints for passengers and crew aboard vessels arriving from regions with reported cases.

These actions come in light of a surge in mpox cases around the world, particularly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and regions in Africa as well as Pakistan. While Singapore has recorded 13 confirmed cases of the less severe Clade II strain this year, officials are taking these steps to prevent any escalation, especially as two cases of the more severe Clade I strain have been identified in Sweden and Thailand.

Ports in  India, Bangladesh, China, and Uruguay also put seafarer health checks in place for ships that have recently travelled from Africa.

Last week, Argentian authorities quarantined a Liberian-flagged cargo ship on the Paraná River after a crew member exhibited symptoms suspected to be mpox. The vessel, travelling from Santos, Brazil, was stopped near Rosario port due to the crew member showing cyst-like lesions on the chest and face. Following health protocols, the individual was isolated on board, and the entire crew was placed under quarantine while awaiting test results.

However, on August 22, Argentine health officials confirmed that the crew member tested negative for mpox. Instead, the individual was diagnosed with chickenpox, lifting the immediate concern for an mpox outbreak on the vessel.

Mpox, known for causing pus-filled lesions and flu-like symptoms, is usually mild but can be fatal. Concerns have been rising globally due to the spread of a more transmissible clade 1b variant of the virus. Argentina had reported eight mpox cases this year, but none involving the clade 1b variant.