H1N1 flu there appears to be mild, though MOH still monitoring situation
By
Jessica Jaganathan & Yeo Ghim Lay
There was no reason yet to discourage Singaporeans from travelling to affected regions like the US, Mr Khaw said. -- ST PHOTO: LIM WUI LIANG
SINGAPORE will not be placing any travel restrictions on the United States and Britain as the Influenza A (H1N1) virus appears to be mild there.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said that although cases were spreading in these countries, no travel restrictions will be placed on people going or coming back from there if the virus stays mild.
'If it remains mild, it's just like flu. Flu will always be there and we are not going to stop people from travelling just because of flu...but it doesn't mean that we should completely relax, so we should still watch and just be vigilant,' he said at the sidelines of a community event at Woodlands Crescent on Sunday.
Travel restrictions were earlier placed on those returning from Mexico as the flu strain was new and reported cases sounded severe, the minister said.
But on Saturday, the Health Ministry (MOH) lifted the Home Quarantine Order for travellers who have been to Mexico recently. There will also be no quarantine for those returning from the US unless the virus 'turns out to be much more serious than we thought'.
Since the virus was brought to the attention of the world less than a month ago, there have been 72 deaths worldwide out of the nearly 8,500 people infected.
With next month's school holidays approaching, Mr Khaw said his ministry was monitoring the situation.
There was no reason yet to discourage Singaporeans from travelling to affected regions like the US, he said.
Instead of a general travel advice, however, a more targeted one relating to a person's medical condition could be given out, Mr Khaw said. This includes those with pre-existing diseases like heart conditions and asthma and pregnant women who might develop complications.
Pregnant women are more likely to get pneumonia when they catch flu, and flu infections have raised the risk of premature birth in past flu epidemics. A pregnant Texas woman with the H1N1 flu died earlier this month, and at least 20 other pregnant women with H1N1 flu have been hospitalised in the US, including some with severe complications.
