Health Minister Ong Ye Kung to Hold a Press Conference About Mpox Next Week

If you miss those COVID-19 press conference, fret not; there’s going to be one next week.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced on 31 August 2024 that he will be holding a press conference next week to address the global spread of mpox and provide an update on Singapore’s preparedness.

But don’t worry; it’s not because the deadlier version of the virus is already in Singapore.

He made this announcement during an event marking the partnership between the Ministry of Health (MOH) and SMRT Corporation to recognize healthcare professionals.

We’d have to wait and see if there’s going to be a boy band—I mean, task force for this.

Mpox in Singapore

In a previous update on 17 August 2024, Mr Ong acknowledged that while the immediate risk of an mpox outbreak in Singapore is low due to no direct flights from affected regions in Africa, the rapidly spreading virus is still a cause for worry.

He noted that Singapore will likely be one of the first places in Asia to see mpox cases because of the country’s global flight connections, even though all 13 confirmed cases detected in Singapore so far this year have been of the less severe clade 2 infections.

As of now, Singapore has initiated precautionary screenings for mpox symptoms at its border checkpoints, including Changi and Seletar airports, as well as sea checkpoints. Temperature and visual screening will be conducted for inbound travelers and crew arriving from places with risk of mpox outbreaks.

You can watch this video to know more about the deadlier version of the virus: