By Vanitha Nadaraj
Malaysians are determined to go ahead with their travel plans to Singapore for the Papal visit in September despite the detection of mpox cases on the island republic.
“No matter what, I will go. There’s no turning back,” said Angeline Lee from Kuala Lumpur.
The 52-year-old told UCA News that she is not dropping her plans to go to Singapore but will take precautions, such as wearing a mask in public spaces and staying hydrated.
Singapore’s health ministry said in a bulletin on Aug 22 that “13 confirmed cases of mpox have been detected this year, all of which are of the less severe Clade II infections.”
“There have been no mpox Clade I cases detected in Singapore to date,” the ministry added.
However, the health ministry, along with the Ministry of Transport and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, “will be putting in place precautionary measures to enhance our surveillance capabilities against mpox at our borders.”
A tour agent who is arranging for 25 Malaysian Catholics to visit the city-state said all of them were aware of the mpox cases but no one was backing out.
“They all know… But they are all going anyway because they want to get blessings from the pope,” he told UCA News.
The World Health Organisation on Aug 14 declared the mpox virus, which was surging across several African countries, as a “public health emergency of international concern.”
The Indonesian Health Ministry reported 88 cases as of Aug 17. Most of the cases were of Clade 1b, and only one patient had yet to recover at the time of reporting.
Pope Francis is scheduled to be in Singapore from Sep 11-13, the last leg of his four-nation tour of Asia-Pacific. He will also visit Indonesia (Sep 3-6), Papua New Guinea (Sep 6-9), and Timor-Leste (Sep 9-11).
About 1,000 Malaysian Catholics will be in Singapore’s National Stadium to attend the Papal Mass on Sep 12.
Despite not having seats, many more are likely to be there to get a glimpse of the pontiff as he travels to and from the stadium. All the 48,600 seats at the stadium have been taken up.
According to a Penang-based senior medical practitioner who specializes in public health, there is nothing to be concerned about.
“The possibility of an infection is very low, and if at all someone is infected, the morbidity can be very mild,” said Dr T Jayabalan.
“The sanitary approach in Singapore is excellent. Even spitting is not allowed. The likelihood of transmission is very low,” he told UCA News.
Singapore Health Minister Ong Ye Kung was quoted in The Straits Times on Aug 17 as saying that the risk of an outbreak in the city-state and Asia was low.
“We should work on the basis that mpox will arrive in Asia. And probably, Singapore will be one of the first places to find cases because of our flight connections ,” he added.
Other Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and Malaysia also have initiated health inspections at their airports. – UCA News
