A deadly pneumonia outbreak has brought panic to Wuhan, China as of late. But it’s not just Wuhan that has raised alarm bells.
Countries all over the world have grown weary following a viral outbreak in Wuhan, evident from the various cases of pneumonia.
These cases seem to be linked to a wholesale seafood market there which involves live animals like birds, snakes and the organs of rabbits.
This is a definite cause of concern because at least 44 people have fallen victim to the virus and out of them, 11 are very sick, reminiscent of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) which plagued Singapore back in 2003.
If anything, here’s even more reason to press the panic button:
Everything About the First Suspected Case of the ‘Mystery Wuhan Virus’ in S’pore
The Ministry of Health announced on Saturday that the first suspected case of the Mystery Wuhan virus in Singapore is here and it involves a small child.
A three-year-old girl from China suffered from pneumonia and has a travel history to Wuhan in China.
She is currently in the hospital for further assessment and treatment and has been isolated as a precautionary measure.
It is understood that she is currently in stable condition but MOH did not reveal how her illness was discovered.
That said, the little girl had not visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan which was linked to the numerous pneumonia cases.
Preliminary tests also revealed that she was positive for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, a common cause of childhood pneumonia. However, further tests need to be conducted to confirm whether this was the cause.
Lest you’re unaware, the Respiratory Syncytial Virus results in infections of the lungs and respiratory tract common in children by age two.
Singapore Cannot Be Complacent Following 2003 Sars Outbreak
According to Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister Khaw Noon Wan, Singapore is keeping watch and remaining wary on the pneumonia situation in Wuhan.
He said in a Facebook post: “There is no evidence of people-to-people transmission, so will likely be just a normal fever outbreak.”
Currently, there are two airlines that connect directly to Wuhan, Scoot and Urumqi Airlines. The first temperature screening at T1 for a Scoot flight was done on Saturday morning, but was deemed “uneventful”.
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For those of you who are downright worried, here’s a tiny piece of good news for you.
Experts claim that there have been no reports of human-to-human transmission, which means risk to the public is drastically reduced.
Singapore has also begun temperature screening for passengers arriving from the city at Changi Airport, while doctors are remaining vigilant.
