Even though many of us may only hearing about monkeypox for the first time, the disease has actually been around for decades. It was first discovered in monkeys in the late 1950s.

It was only in 1970 that the disease was found in humans in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to WHO. The first case was a nine-year-old boy in the region, where smallpox had been eliminated in 1968.

Since then, human cases of monkeypox have been reported in 11 African countries such as Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone. The first Monkeypox outbreak outside Africa though was only reported in 2003 in America. 

Monkeypox is mainly transmitted through close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have lesions as a result of the virus. You can also catch the virus if you are around an infected person who has lesions in their mouth and coughs or sneezes near you. In other words, you can catch it through respiratory droplets.

The symptoms of monkeypox are similar, though milder than the symptoms of smallpox. It will typically begin with a fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion. Your lymph nodes will then likely begin to swell.

Within one to three days of getting a fever, patients will typically develop a rash that will start on the face and spread to other parts of the body. The illness usually lasts between two to four weeks and has been shown in Africa to cause death in as many as one in 10 persons who have contracted the disease, according to the CDC.

Singapore reported only one case of monkeypox in 2019. The case, which was a Nigerian man, was contained and there was no outbreak.

In this current global outbreak, Singapore has confirmed one imported case of monkeypox so far on June 21. The patient is a British man who works as a flight attendant. He was in Singapore between June 15 and 17 and then again on June 19 as he flew in and out of the country, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH) on June 21. He tested positive for monkeypox on June 20 and is currently warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) where his condition is stable. 

“During this period, he had largely remained in his hotel room, except to visit a massage establishment and eat at three food establishments on June 16,” said MOH. “In general, the risk of transmission to visitors at these locations is low, as data has shown that monkeypox transmits through close physical or prolonged contact. All four locations visited by the case are undergoing cleaning and disinfection.”

Contact tracing is also ongoing and 13 close contacts have been identified as of June 21. All close contacts are required to quarantine for 21 days since their last contact with the patient. 

Two other low-risk contacts have been placed on phone surveillance which means that they will receive daily phone calls during a 21-day period to monitor for any possible symptoms.

MOH has alerted medical professionals to remain vigilant and advised travellers to maintain a high standard of personal hygiene, as well as to avoid direct contact with skin lesions of infected people or animals, living or dead. Avoiding contact with wild animals and the consumption of bushmeat have also been advised. 

“Returning travellers, especially from areas affected by monkeypox, should seek immediate medical attention if they develop any disease symptoms within three weeks of their return. They should also inform their doctor of their recent travel history,” said MOH on May 21.

Singapore has only recently reopened its borders after having them closed due to Covid-19, and more people are travelling freely now that restrictions and testing have been reduced or done away with.

However, it does not look like monkeypox will disrupt this as the cases are still minimal. Travellers simply need to exercise caution and monitor themselves for symptoms.

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