First suspected case of viral pneumonia from Wuhan reported in S'pore

She has been warded and is in stable condition.

Guan Zhen Tan | January 05, 2020, 11:27 AM

The Ministry of Health (MOH)  has been notified of one suspected case of viral pneumonia from Wuhan in Singapore.

Patient warded, may be positive for childhood pneumonia

According to a statement published on their official Facebook page, the case involves a three-year-old girl who is a Chinese national with pneumonia.

The girl has a travel history to Wuhan and has been warded for further assessment and treatment.

She has not visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan which was associated with the severe pneumonia cluster.

She is currently isolated as a precautionary measure and is in stable condition. Preliminary tests showed that the case is positive for the Respiratory Syncytial Virus, a common cause for childhood pneumonia.

Investigations are ongoing to confirm this.

Cases of viral pneumonia increased to 44 in Wuhan

A statement by health authorities in Wuhan, China on Jan. 3, said that the number of cases of viral pneumonia has risen to 44.

So far, no evidence of human-to-human transmission has been found.

The authorities have also ruled out several causes of the infection, such as influenza, bird flu, adenovirus infection and other common respiratory diseases.

Health advisory

MOH advises all travellers to Wuhan to monitor their health closely and seek medical help promptly if they are feeling unwell and to inform their doctors of their travel history.

Temperature screening has been implemented at Changi airport since Jan. 3, for travellers who are entering Singapore via flights from Wuhan.

Suspected cases will be referred to the hospitals for further assessment.

Members of the public are also advised to take the necessary precautions, such as avoiding livestock and people with symptoms of illnesses, along with practising good personal hygiene.

In an update later in the evening of Jan. 5, MOH confirmed that the case is not linked to the viral pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan.

https://www.mothership.sg/2020/01/first-suspect-case-wuhan-pneumonia-singapore-no-link

Top image via Pixabay