26 new H1N1 cases, 3 appear to have been infected locally
Posted: 19 June 2009 2332 hrs
SINGAPORE: Singapore has confirmed 26 new cases of H1N1 including three who appear to have acquired their infections in Singapore.
22 cases involve travellers returning from other countries while another case is a close contact of an earlier confirmed case.
The new cases bring the total number of infected people in Singapore to 103.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) says the three unlinked cases have no travel history or known contact with confirmed cases.
One of them is a 27-year-old Filipino 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 15-17 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 the Communicable Disease Centre 2 (CDC2) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
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 back and stayed at 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.
Another new unlinked case is a 16-year-old Singaporean student. He was at home all day on 12 June. From 13 to 15 June, he was out for social activities. He remained at home on 16 June and went 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 CDC2 via a 993 ambulance.
The third new unlinked case is a 14-year-old Singaporean 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 at 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 the KK Women's and Children's Hospital via a 993 ambulance.
- CNA/ir
