S'pore medical practitioners must report detection of 3 deadly infectious diseases with no approved cure from Oct. 31

Singapore will add three viral haemorrhagic fevers to its list of prescribed infectious diseases from Oct. 31, 2026.

The three are Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), Lassa fever and Marburg virus disease (MVD).

The change follows recent amendments to the Infectious Diseases Act and regulations in Sep. 30.

Doctors and laboratories required to report cases

From Oct. 31, doctors who suspect that a patient has any of the three diseases, as well as laboratories that detect them, will be required to notify the Director-General of Health under the Infectious Diseases Act (IDA).

The Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) told The Straits Times that it has already been monitoring the three diseases, which can cause severe illness and spread between people.

CDA said the additions were meant to “strengthen our overall surveillance and preparedness efforts.”

The agency said Singapore's risk level from the three diseases remains low.

According to ST, CDA said the reporting requirement would help authorities detect cases early and respond promptly through measures such as isolation and contact tracing.

Also classified as ‘dangerous infectious diseases’

The three diseases will also be added to the Infectious Diseases Act's list of “dangerous infectious diseases”, bringing the total to eight.

The five diseases currently on the list are Ebola disease, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection (MERS-CoV), plague, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and yellow fever.

CDA will also include CCHF, Lassa fever and MVD in its weekly infectious diseases bulletin from November, ST reported.

How do the 3 diseases spread?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), CCHF is primarily transmitted through tick bites or contact with infected livestock.

It can also spread through contact with bodily fluids from an infected person.

Lassa fever is mainly transmitted through food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces from infected rodents.

MVD can spread from infected fruit bats to humans, and subsequently between people through contact with infected bodily fluids.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently no approved specific treatments or widely available vaccines for the three diseases.

However, vaccines for Lassa fever and MVD are under development.