62 Cases Of Suspected Mers Investigated, But All Negative: S'pore Health Minister

SINGAPORE, July 14 (Bernama) -- From January until July 10, this year, 62 cases of suspected Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) were investigated locally, and all had tested negative. In response to parliamentary questions on Monday, Singapore's Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said: "We have taken a multi-pronged approach and have put in place various measures to detect imported MERS-CoV cases and contain any further transmission in Singapore." Gan said the Ministry of Health had been closely monitoring the global situation of MERS-CoV since the disease emerged in 2012. "WHO's (World Health Organisation) current assessment is that the transmission of the disease is mainly among household and hospital contacts, and there is no evidence of sustained community transmission. "Nevertheless, we must remain vigilant to the possibility and impact of an imported case from the Middle East, South Korea or elsewhere," he said. An inter-ministerial committee (IMC), co-chaired by himself and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing, was formed late last year to oversee whole of the government's preparedness against dangerous infectious diseases including MERS and Ebola. --BERNAMA