13th monkeypox case reported in Singapore; 33-year-old man is a local unlinked case

THE 13th case of monkeypox in Singapore was detected on Tuesday (Aug 2).

The man, 33, is a local unlinked case with no recent travel history, said the Ministry of Health on its website on Wednesday (Aug 3).

He is the eighth local unlinked case.

The remaining five cases are imported ones with recent travel history to Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and Australia.

The ministry had announced on Monday that all monkeypox patients who are deemed clinically stable from Monday will be transferred to a dedicated isolation facility.

The quarantine period for close contacts will now be cut to 14 days, followed by seven days of monitoring for symptoms through phone calls. Previously, the quarantine period was up to 21 days.

The current outbreak of the viral disease emerged in May and has infected more than 18,000 people in 78 countries, said the World Health Organisation last Wednesday.

Nine people who contracted the virus in Africa, India, Brazil and Spain have died.

Some of the symptoms linked to the monkeypox virus include fever, headache, muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, lethargy and skin rash. THE STRAITS TIMES