Risk to Singapore of Possible Cross-Border Transmission of Ebola Outbreak in Congo

Ms Hany Soh asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health whether the Ministry assesses there to be any risk of cross-border transmission leading to Singapore due to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Senior Minister of State for Health (Mr Tan Kiat How) (for the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health): Sir, the risk of cross-border transmission of Ebola to Singapore is assessed to be low.

First, there are no direct flights between Singapore and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and travel volume between our countries is low. Second, Ebola is primarily spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons. The outbreak in DRC is driven by delayed identification of cases and poor infection control practices in the community and healthcare settings. It does not spread easily in settings with strong public health practices and healthcare infrastructure, as we have in Singapore.

Nevertheless, we must always be vigilant and will continue to monitor the outbreak and the spread of deadly pathogens around the world, including Ebola, and be ready to respond.

Mr Speaker: Ms Soh.

Ms Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee): I thank the Senior Minister of State for his reply. As we are nearing year-end school holidays, which we will typically expect an uptick in overseas travel, so, I would like to ask whether the Ministry of Health will be stepping up with monitoring of the outbreak, and plan to implement screening of travellers arriving from certain countries?

Mr Tan Kiat How: Sir, the short answer is yes. We are already doing so, and when I said low-risk, it does not mean no risk, and it is something we are very vigilant and mindful of. The immediate risk of importation to Singapore is low, as I mentioned in my main reply, since there are no direct flights and the travel volume between our two countries is low. But we are constantly monitoring the situation in those countries, and it is not just Ebola but other deadly pathogens, and we are working very closely with our counterparts around the world.

So, we have baseline measures for early detection and management already through electronic health declarations when travellers enter Singapore, and we have also made sure that our healthcare professionals and our healthcare system is always on the lookout and monitoring any of these trends that we spot. And we will adjust these baseline measures if the situation changes.