Singapore confirms first Monkeypox case after British flight attendant tests positive

Singapore has recorded the first confirmed case of monkeypox in a British flight attendant in the Southeast Asia region during a recent outbreak. The British man had travelled to and flown out of the city-state in mid-June, BBC News reported. According to Singapore health officials, the man tested positive for Monkeypox on Monday and he remains in an isolation ward. 

The Singapore health officials stated that the patient was in stable condition. The health officials further said that thirteen of his close contacts have been placed in isolation, as per the BBC News report. The British man has been undergoing treatment at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, CNN reported. The man tested positive for the disease after having symptoms like skin rashes, headaches and fever during the past week. Singapore's Ministry of Health stated that the person who has tested positive for Monkeypox stayed in a room in a hotel except visiting a massage centre and three food joints on June 16. 

South Korea reports two suspected cases of Monkeypox 

Meanwhile, South Korea also reported two suspected cases of Monkeypox on Tuesday, 21 June. One of the suspected cases is a foreigner who travelled to South Korea on Monday and has been taken to hospital after developing symptoms, as per the CNN report. Another suspected case is a South Korean national who travelled back to the country from Germany on Wednesday and has been undergoing treatment at a facility in Seoul. Notably, more than 2,100 cases of Monkeypox have been reported in 42 countries between 1 January to 15 June, the World Health Organization said in a statement. The WHO noted that one death has been reported due to the disease in this outbreak. 98% of the cases of Monkeypox have been reported since May 2022. 

Most confirmed cases of Monkeypox in Europe: WHO

According to the World Health Organization, most of the confirmed cases have been reported in Europe. It further stated that cases have also been reported in Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean region and Western Pacific region. According to WHO, monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and tiredness are among the initial symptoms of monkeypox. After fever, a rash might develop, usually starting on the face and spreading to other parts of the body.

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