Singapore says it has detected 13 cases of mpox Clade 2 infection in 2024

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Singapore has detected 13 cases of mpox Clade 2 infections this year, the health ministry said in a bulletin on Thursday.

To date, all mpox infections in the city state have been the "less severe" Clade 2 infections, it added.

Earlier on Thursday, Thailand confirmed an mpox case reported this week was the Clade 1b strain of the virus, the second confirmed case of the variant outside of Africa. Clade 1b has triggered global concern due to the ease with which it spreads though routine close contact.

The World Health Organization declared the recent outbreak of the disease a public health emergency of international concern after the new variant was identified.

Singapore said it was monitoring the global situation closely.

The health ministry said that as a precaution, it will from Friday screen the temperatures of travellers arriving at Changi and Seletar airports from places exposed to the risk of mpox outbreaks.

(Reporting by Xinghui Kok; editing by Mark Heinrich, Kirsten Donovan)