Passengers arriving at Changi Airport were screened by thermal scanners on 27 April 2009. MOH said there is currently no evidence of community spread but it is monitoring the situation closely and will update the public on any new developments. -- ST PHOTO: LIM WUI LIANG
A SINGAPOREAN teen studying in the United States is the 9th victim of Influenza A (H1N1) here.
The 19-year-old girl, returning for the summer holidays, arrived from New York via Tokyo last Thursday on All Nippon Airways NH901.
She only developed symptoms on Monday morning and was brought to the Communicable Disease Centre 2 at Tan Tock Seng Hospital by a 993 ambulance.
She was admitted that afternoon and laboratory results confirmed her infection on Tuesday night at 9 pm.
A Health Ministry statement on Wednesday said the authorities assessed that no flight passengers needed to be quarantined as the teen only developed onset of symptoms more than 24 hours after getting off the plane.
Its spokesman said the infectious period of A(H1N1) is 24 hours before the onset of symptoms 'hence the patient was assessed to be non-infectious during the flight'.
Tracing for her local contacts has been initiated and so far, two close contacts involving her family members had been identified.
They are currently well and HQOs will be served to them. Tracing for other local contacts is on-going.
So far, all the nine cases here are imported and have a travel history.
MOH said there is currently no evidence of community spread but it is monitoring the situation closely and will update the public on any new developments.
