Handling of Persons with Suspected Communicable Diseases at Entry Points

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) how do immigration officers handle a person with a suspected communicable disease at the point of entry into Singapore; and (b) whether there are specific protocols and assessments that are carried out.

Mr Teo Chee Hean: As the agency responsible for Singapore's border security, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) protects Singapore against the entry of undesirable persons and cargo through our land, air, and sea checkpoints. In addition, ICA provides the first line of defence against the importation of communicable diseases into Singapore.

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Broadly speaking, communicable diseases are caused by pathogens which can be transmitted across humans. It should be noted that most communicable diseases, such as the common cold, are not severe, and will not warrant routine border control. Hence, the focus is on communicable diseases with pandemic potential. Working closely with MOH and NEA, ICA has put in place health and disease control measures, case detection, and referral protocols at all checkpoints. These comprehensive measures protect Singapore against the importation of diseases with pandemic potential.

I will explain the controls in place using the example of Yellow Fever, which is a communicable disease of international public health concern. Upon arrival, the traveller will first have to fill up the Embarkation/ Disembarkation Card and declare whether he has been to a Yellow Fever-affected country. A traveller who declares so will have to submit a Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate as evidence of vaccination. If the traveller is unable to do so, ICA officers will refer the traveller to NEA officers for their assessment and follow-up. If the disease is assessed to be of grave threat to Singapore, the traveller may be denied entry.

For communicable diseases with high pandemic potential and rapid transmission, MOH, NEA and ICA will activate Border Health Control measures and work closely to protect our borders.

To illustrate, during the SARS outbreak of 2003 in 2009, public health measures implemented at the checkpoints included:

a. Filling up of Health Declaration Cards by all visitors;

b. 100% temperature screening for all inbound and outbound travellers;

c. Referral of suspected travellers to medical staff for isolation, medical assessment, treatment and quarantine.

To summarise, ICA takes into account the threat and nature of the communicable disease when imposing specific public health measures and protocols. This ensures that the effort to counter and neutralise the communicable disease threat does not cause unnecessary burden on travellers. MHA and ICA will continue to work with our partner agencies to ensure that there is a robust framework to decisively deal with the threat of any communicable disease.