KUALA LUMPUR: Singapore has stepped up its vigilance in response to the recent outbreak of Nipah virus infection (NiV) in West Bengal, including setting up temperature screening at the airport for incoming flights from affected areas.
Singapore’s Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA), in a statement posted on its website, said health advisories will be disseminated to travellers at points of entry, with instructions to seek medical attention if unwell after travel for inbound travellers, and health precautions for outbound travellers.
"The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is stepping up surveillance of newly arrived migrant workers from South Asia, and engaging MOM primary care providers to increase vigilance,” the statement read.
According to the CDA, travellers who develop symptoms during or after travel should seek prompt medical attention and inform their doctors of their recent travel and any potential exposure to raw date palm sap, bats or unwell persons.
The statement said the agency has also alerted hospitals and emergency departments to be vigilant for NiV infections in patients with compatible symptoms and recent travel history to the affected area.
NiV is a notifiable disease under the Infectious Diseases Act. Medical practitioners and laboratories are required to notify CDA immediately of all confirmed and suspected cases of NiV, it said.
The statement said that CDA is also reaching out to its counterparts in South Asia to better understand the situation.
Work is ongoing to establish a global platform for countries to report genome sequencing of detected cases, it added.
The statement also said CDA is closely monitoring the outbreak of NiV in West Bengal, India. This is the seventh Nipah virus outbreak in India since 2001.
According to the statement, NiV transmission currently is mainly by exposure to bats, and consumption of date palm sap or fruits contaminated by bats. Ongoing bio-surveillance programmes to monitor Singapore's bat populations since 2011 have not detected NiV.
The outbreak in West Bengal, however, is reportedly between humans, with two cases so far. Human-to-human transmission is rare but does occur.
In the current outbreak, transmission was reported to be within hospitals, i.e., between individuals who were in close contact, possibly including contact with bodily fluids. It remains localised to West Bengal, with no sustained community transmission currently reported, it said.
CDA in the statement also advises individuals travelling to affected areas to maintain vigilance and adopt health precautions when overseas to reduce the risk of exposure to NiV. - Bernama
