Of the 11 new cases, one appeared to have been infected in Singapore.
MOH believes that case 73 'could have come into contact with one of the earlier confirmed cases here, since the virus is not native here. -- ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG
Said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a statement sent late on Thursday: 'Our tentative assessment is that he may be our first unlinked local case as he has no travel history to a known infected area'.
The remaining 10 infected cases involve travellers returning from countries with known community transmission of H1N1.
Case 73 is a 26-year-old Malaysian male who is a Singaporean PR.
He departed from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur for work on SQ108 at 10am on June 14. Later that evening, he developed symptoms while he was having dinner at a restaurant. The next day, he attended a conference in the morning and went out in the evening.
On June 16, he sought medical attention at a GP clinic in the early hours and was prescribed antibiotics and paracetamol. He then went back to the hotel and remained there for the rest of the day.
He returned to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur on SilkAir MI335 at 3.14pm on June 17. He was seated at row 19.
When he arrived at ChangiAirport, he immediately approached the airport staff and a 993 ambulance was called to send him to TTSH. Prior to his travel to KL, his last travel out of Singapore was to Hong Kong from May 28 to June 1. He remained well after his trip to Hong Kong.
MOH believes that case 73 'could have come into contact with one of the earlier confirmed cases here, since the virus is not native here.
'Unless further investigations turn up evidence otherwise, and if more such unlinked cases emerge over the next few days, this would signal the beginning of community spread in Singapore.
'We have not reached such a stage yet. We must press on with our containment efforts and everyone must play his part.
'This is especially so for recent travellers from infected areas. They must not engage in community activities and come forward immediately for screening and isolation as soon as flu-like symptoms develop.'
MOH added that Malaysia has been informed about case 73 and his activities in Kuala Lumpur.
Contact tracing is now ongoing for all new cases. Passengers who have not been contacted by MOH yet should call the MOH hotline at 1800-333 9999.
