Singapore’s Ministry of Health on April 20 began to put up health
advisory posters at airports and distributed advisories to travellers
returning on flights from areas affected by the avian influenza A (H7N9)
in China and SARS-like Coronavirus in the Middle East.

The
ministry’s statement wrote that it is taking “additional measures” in
view of the rising number of reported cases of H7N9 in China , and as
Singaporeans are likely to travel abroad during the coming school
holidays.

The individual health advisories, which are
printed in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil, remind travellers to look
out for signs and symptoms of flu, such as fever and cough, and seek
early medical attention from any clinic if they are ill with such
symptoms.

The ministry said individuals should inform their
doctors of their travel history, particularly if they have been to such
areas in China as Anhui , Beijing , Henan , Jiangsu , Shanghai
and Zhejiang with reported cases of H7N9.

The
advisories also include Saudi Arabia , Qatar , Jordan and the
United Arab Emirates where there are reported cases of Coronavirus.

Earlier,
Singapore ’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised Singaporeans
travelling to affected areas that they should e-Register with MFA to
facilitate MFA to contact them in the event of an emergency.

According
to Singapore ’s Ministry of Health, there have been no cases of avian
influenza (H5N1) detected in Singapore , either in humans or poultry.

However,
as of April 19, four Singaporeans who developed respiratory illness
after returning from China had been picked up by the enhanced
vigilance and monitoring system at public hospitals. All four tested
negative for H7N9.

The ministry added that it will continue
to maintain close contact with the World Health Organisation and its
overseas counterparts to monitor the situation closely and ensure that
public health is safeguarded. It also assured the public that hospitals
here have appropriate infection control measures in place.-VNA