8th H1N1 case confirmed in Singapore

Singapore has confirmed its 8th H1N1 case today.

According to an announcement from the Ministry of Health, the latest case is a 15 years old male student who is studying in India. He travelled from India to Orlando and Atlanta on a school trip from 17 to 31 May 09.

He returned to Singapore from Atlanta via Mumbai on Singapore Airlines SQ421 (Seat 39K) on 1 Jun 09 at 7.36pm.

The patient felt feverish during the flight, and his fever was picked up by the thermal scanner at Changi Airport. He was sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital via 993 ambulance, and subsequently warded at KK Hospital in the early hours of 2 Jun 09.

The Ministry also said in its statement that contact tracing of all previous cases, except the seventh case involving a 30-year-old Australian male tourist, and the most recent case, have been accounted for.

Contact tracing is ongoing for the passengers seated within the following seats on the corresponding flights:

- Within rows 37 to 41 on SQ421 on 1 Jun 09
- Within rows 52 to 56 on SQ25 on 1 Jun 09

Affected passengers who have not yet been contacted by MOH should call the MOH hotline at 1800-333 9999.

Of the 62 cases investigated thus far, 8 cases have tested positive for the H1N1 virus, 43 cases tested negative, 10 tested positive for the usual circulating seasonal flu strains, and 1 is pending laboratory investigations.

There are now 17,563 confirmed cases of H1N1, including 116 deaths in 65 countries as of 1 Jun 09.