SINGAPORE: Singapore's first monkeypox patient has recovered and been assessed to be non-infectious, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday (May 28).

The 38-year-old Nigerian man was discharged from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases last Friday and left Singapore on the same day, said the ministry.



He first arrived in Singapore on Apr 28 and was staying at Hotel 81 Orchid in Geylang before he was hospitalised. He also attended a workshop on Apr 29 and Apr 30 before he was tested positive for the virus on May 8.

All 22 people who came into close contact with the patient have completed their quarantine after having been monitored for 21 days - the maximum incubation period - from their last date of exposure to the patient.





The last close contact completed their quarantine on Tuesday.

"All close contacts are well and remain asymptomatic," said the ministry.

Eight other contacts who were assessed to have a low risk of being infected had been put on active surveillance, where they were called twice daily to monitor their health progress.

"To date, all contacts have reported to be well and asymptomatic," said MOH, adding that active surveillance will end on Thursday.



"Early detection, contact tracing and quarantine of close contacts have enabled us to tackle the monkeypox case in a proactive, swift and coordinated manner," said medical services director Associate Professor Benjamin Ong.

"We thank all healthcare staff involved in the diagnosis and management of this case for their dedication and hard work. Singapore must continue to stay vigilant in our fight against infectious disease threats.”



Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans from animals mainly in central and western Africa. This happens when a person comes in close contact with infected animals such as rodents.

