Seven New Confirmed Cases of Influenza A (H1N1-2009)(1)

15 Jun 2009

Singapore has confirmed seven more cases of Influenza A (H1N1-2009), bringing the total number of confirmed cases here to 47. All of the 47 cases, except one who was a close contact of a confirmed case, are imported cases with a travel history.  The breakdown is as follows:

Country of Origin of Travel of confirmed cases (as of 15th June 2009)

2. So far, 19 patients have been discharged.  The remaining 28 patients (18th, 19th, 21st - 32nd, 34th - 47th cases) are still in the hospital and their conditions remain stable. 

41st Confirmed Case

3. The 41st case is a 39-year-old male Singapore PR. He went to the Philippines for a holiday and developed symptoms on 10 June while he was there. He returned to Singapore from Manila on Philippines Airlines PR505 at 2300 hours on 13 June. He was seated at row 17. He was not picked up by the thermal scanner at the airport as he was not feverish then.  Since his return, he stayed largely at home. On 14 June, he sought medical attention at Raffles Hospital in the late afternoon and was sent to CDC via a 993 ambulance. Laboratory results confirmed his infection at 2240 hours on 14 June.

42nd - 47th Confirmed Cases

4. The 42nd case is a 10-year-old Singaporean girl. She went to Melbourne with her family on 6 June for a holiday. She developed symptoms before she boarded the plane on 13 June, and wore a mask during the flight. She returned to Singapore from Melbourne on Singapore Airlines SQ228 at 2132 hours on 13 June. She was seated at row 46, and was on the same flight as the 39th case who was seated at row 60. She was not picked up by the thermal scanner at the airport as she was not feverish then. Since her return, she had stayed at home. On 14 June, a 993 ambulance was called to send her to KKH and she was admitted for further assessment in the early hours of 15 June.

5. The 43rd to 45th cases are Singaporean siblings who went to Melbourne with their family for a holiday. They include two boys aged 8 and 6 and a 4-year-old girl. All three children developed symptoms on 13 June before they boarded the plane. They returned to Singapore from Melbourne on Singapore Airlines SQ228 at 2133 hours on 14 June. They were seated at row 43. As they had fever, they were picked up by the thermal scanner at the airport and sent to KKH via 993 ambulance. They were admitted for further assessment in early hours of 15 June.

6. The 46th case is a 10-year-old Australian girl who came to Singapore with her family for a holiday. She developed symptoms on 14 June while she was on the plane.  She came from Melbourne on Qantas QF9 at 2108 hours on 14 June.  She was seated at row 68.  Her fever was detected by the thermal scanner at the airport and she was sent to KKH via a 993 ambulance. She was admitted for further assessment in the early hours of 15 June.

7. The 47th case is a 22-year-old Singaporean female cabin crew with Japanese Airlines. She travelled as a cabin crew to New York on 6 June. She left New York for Tokyo on 7 June and was there from 9-10 June. On her return journey, she felt unwell while working on the plane. She returned to Singapore from Tokyo on Japanese Airlines JL711 at 0025 hours on 12 June. She was not picked up by the thermal scanner as she did not have fever then. She sought medical attention at a GP clinic in early hours of 12 June and was advised to call 993 if she developed fever later. She did not go out on 13 June. On 14 June early morning, she went to a cinema with her friend. Her symptoms worsened later and she was sent to CGH ED in a private car.  She was admitted for further assessment in the early morning of 14 June.

8. Laboratory results confirmed the infections of the 42nd to 47th cases at 1800 hours on 15 June.

Contact Tracing

9. Contact tracing is ongoing for the cases. Passengers seated within rows 15-19 on PR505 on 13 June, rows 44-48 on SQ228 on 13 June, rows 41-45 on SQ228 on 14 June and rows 66-70 on QF9 who have not been contacted by MOH yet should call the MOH hotline at 1800-333 9999 to enable us to check on their health condition expeditiously. All close contacts identified will be quarantined and provided with antiviral prophylaxis.

MOH Advisory to all travellers

10. In view of recent cases of travelling though unwell, MOH would like to remind travellers from infected areas to consult a doctor there as soon as possible if they feel unwell and to refrain from travelling if they have symptoms within 24 hours of their planned departure. This is to avoid infecting other passengers and putting them to great inconvenience if they have to be quarantined.

11. For travellers who have been to the eight countries identified by WHO as having community spread (ie. USA, Mexico, Canada, UK, Spain, Chile, Australia, Japan), they should immediately call 993 for an ambulance to bring them to CDC2 for assessment if they develop symptoms within seven days of their return. If unwell, they should not go about their usual activities such as going to school, shopping or work. This will significantly reduce the likelihood of their transmitting any infection to their family members, friends and the community. 

12. For people who are planning to travel, they should check the MOH website for the latest update on the list of countries most affected by H1N1 in terms of numbers of cases, deaths and known exported cases.  Several groups have been found to be at a higher risk of developing complications from H1N1 Influenza A.

They include those who are:

• Pregnant

• Undergoing chemotherapy

• Being treated on steroids

• Have underlying medical conditions such as asthma, chronic lung disease or heart disease

• Young children below 2 years of age

MOH advises that these people carefully review their travel plans to affected countries and take the necessary precautions.

13. 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.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

15 June 09