SINGAPORE - The Republic detected its second local case of monkeypox on Wednesday (July 13), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said, bringing the total number of cases reported here to five.

In an update on its website on Wednesday night, MOH said the patient is a 48-year-old British man residing in Singapore, who tested positive for monkeypox on Wednesday.

He is currently warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and his condition is stable.

He had developed rashes in the perianal region - the area surrounding the anus - on July 6 and had a fever on Monday (July 11).

He sought medical attention on Wednesday and was admitted to NCID. MOH said contact tracing is ongoing. It said the case is not linked to any of the previously reported monkeypox cases here.

The fourth case, an imported infection reported on July 8, was a 30-year-old male Indian national who lives in Singapore and recently returned from Germany.

He developed a rash in the groin area at the end of last month and sought medical care after coming down with a fever.

The previous local case was a 45-year-old Malaysian man residing in Singapore, who developed lower abdomen skin lesions on June 30.

He subsequently experienced fatigue and swollen lymph nodes, before developing a sore throat and fever. All close contacts of this local case were placed on a 21-day quarantine.

None of the cases reported here so far is linked.

Monkeypox is a rare viral disease, with those infected usually experiencing fever, headache, muscle ache, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, lethargy and skin rash.

Most patients recover within two to three weeks, MOH had said previously, though it noted that young children, pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals are among those at higher risk of severe illness.

Some 9,200 cases of monkeypox have been reported across 63 countries this year, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.