Singapore has confirmed another 26 new cases (78th to 103rd cases) of Influenza A (H1N1-2009), including three who appear to have acquired their infections in Singapore. 22 cases involve travellers returning from other countries while another case was a close contact of an earlier confirmed case. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Singapore to 103.
Local infection cases
There are three unlinked cases with no travel history or known contact with confirmed cases. Our assessment is that they have likely acquired their infection locally. The three cases are as follows:
(a) The 86th case is a 27-year-old Filipino male who works in Singapore. His six-member family from the Philippines came to Singapore from Manila on 11 June. From 12 – 14 June, he took his family to several places of interest. His family returned to Manila on 14 June. His six family members appeared well during their stay in Singapore. He went to work from 15 to 17 June. He developed symptoms while he was in the office on 16 June evening. On 18 June morning, he sought medical attention at a GP clinic for fever and cough. A 993 ambulance was called to send him to CDC2. Swabs were taken from him for influenza testing under MOH’s influenza surveillance programme, and he was discharged with three days of medical leave and medication. He went and stayed home for the rest of the day. Laboratory results confirmed his infection on the same day and he was admitted to CDC2 via a 993 ambulance at night.
(b) The 95th case is a 16-year-old Singaporean male student. He was at home all day on 12 June. From 13 to 15 June, he was out for social activities. He remained home on 16 June and was out again on 17 June. He developed symptoms on 17 June night while he was at home. On 18 June morning, he went to the polyclinic where swabs were taken under MOH’s influenza surveillance programme, and he was prescribed some medication. He returned home thereafter and remained at home. On 19 June, he received a call from the polyclinic informing him that he had tested positive for Influenza A (H1N1-2009). He was admitted to CDC via a 993 ambulance.
(c) The 103rd case is a 14-year-old Singaporean male student. He stayed home from 10 to 12 June. On 13 and 14 June, he attended church functions in the morning and returned home thereafter. He went to Sentosa with his friends on 15 June. While at home, he developed a fever on 16 June afternoon. He sought medical attention at a polyclinic on 17 June morning where swabs were taken for influenza testing under MOH’s influenza surveillance programme. He stayed home for the rest of that day, and the following day. On 19 June afternoon, he received a call from the polyclinic informing him that he had tested positive for Influenza A (H1N1-2009). He was admitted to KKH via a 993 ambulance.
Details of new imported cases
The nationalities of the 22 imported cases are:
* 14 Singaporeans
* 2 Singapore PR (1 Malaysian, 1 UK)
* 6 foreigners (2 Filipino, 1 American, 1 Australian, 1 Malaysian, 1 New Zealander)
They had travelled to the following countries:
* USA
* Australia
* Philippines
* Thailand
* Indonesia
* Malaysia
Contact tracing
Contact tracing is ongoing for all new cases, and information will be provided on MOH website (www.moh.gov.sg).
Breakdown of Total Confirmed Cases
The breakdown of the 103* cases is as follows:
Country of Origin of Travel of Confirmed Cases (as of 19 June 2009)
Countries
Number of cases
Australia
44
United States
21
Philippines
19
Thailand
4
Canada
2
UK
2
Indonesia
2
Malaysia
1
Chile
1
Cruise#
1
Total
97
*97 cases were imported while 4 appeared to have acquired their infection in Singapore, and another 2 were close contacts of confirmed cases.
# The 68th case is a 33-year-old Singaporean woman who went for a holiday in Europe from 28 May to 17 June. She was on a cruise from 4 June to 16 June. She developed symptoms while on the cruise. She was treated on the ship and returned to Singapore on 17 June.
So far, 29 patients have been discharged. The remaining 74 patients (22nd – 23rd, 25th – 28th, 32nd, 34th, 36th – 37th, 39th – 58th, 60th – 103rd cases) are still in the hospital and their conditions remain stable.
The following is a breakdown of cases by age
Age profile
Age group (years)
Number of cases
< 20
44
20 – 50
54
> 50
5
Total
103
It is noted that the young are particularly vulnerable to the virus, with some 43% of total confirmed cases below 20 years old.
Advisory to all travellers
For those who are planning to travel, they should check the MOH website for the latest update on the list of countries with confirmed cases of H1N1 so that they can make considered decisions on whether to proceed with
their travel plans. 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.
