SINGAPORE - One monkeypox case was reported in Singapore on Monday (July 25), bringing the total number of cases detected here to nine.

The 31-year-old male Philippine national tested positive on Monday, and is currently warded at Singapore General Hospital, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in an update on its website.

The patient had developed a fever on July 21, MOH said.

"He subsequently developed rashes on his face and at his perianal region with further spread to other parts of his body," added the ministry.

The man sought medical care at Singapore General Hospital on Sunday and was admitted on the same day.

Contact tracing is ongoing, MOH added.

On Sunday, two cases of monkeypox were reported - a 46-year-old man from Estonia and a 26-year-old Singaporean man.

Of the nine monkeypox cases, five are local and four are imported. So far, the cases are not linked.

Over 16,000 monkeypox cases have been detected in more than 75 countries, up from about 3,000 at the end of June. On July 23, the World Health Organisation declared monkeypox a global health emergency.

This is the strongest possible call to action by the global organisation, signalling a new urgency and scale for a disease previously confined to western and central Africa.

Covid-19 was given the same label back in 2020.