By Lau Joon-Nie, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 18 June 2009 2220 hrs
Health screening officers monitor passengers through a thermal scanner at the Changi International AirportSINGAPORE: Singapore may have its first unlinked local case of H1N1 flu with no travel history to a known infected area.
The 26-year-old Malaysian, a Singapore permanent resident, had developed symptoms the same day he flew to Kuala Lumpur last Sunday.
On Monday, he attended a conference in the morning and went out in the evening.
He saw a doctor in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, was given antibiotics and paracetamol, and returned to Singapore on Wednesday.
Upon his arrival at Changi Airport, he asked airport staff to call for a 993 ambulance.
Prior to his travel to Kuala Lumpur, he gone to Hong Kong from May 28 to June 1 and remained well after that trip.
Singapore's Health Ministry (MOH) said it has alerted its Malaysian counterpart about this case and his activities in Kuala Lumpur.
MOH said he could have come into contact with one of the earlier confirmed cases here. And unless further investigations show otherwise, and if more such unlinked cases emerge over the next few days, this would signal the beginning of community spread in Singapore.
MOH added that Singapore has not reached such a stage yet, and called on Singaporeans to press on with containment efforts and for everyone to do their part.
Ten other imported cases were confirmed on Thursday. Six are Singaporeans, one is a Singapore permanent resident and three are foreigners - a Filipino, Canadian and an Australian.
One of the Singaporeans is a 33-year-old woman who went for a holiday in Europe from May 28 to June 17. While there, she boarded a cruise from June 4 to 16 and developed symptoms while on the cruise. She was treated on the ship and returned to Singapore on June 17.
The latest cases bring the total number of confirmed cases in Singapore to 77. - CNA/ms
From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.
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