Singapore: Girl who came here dies of H5N1

04:47 AM Jul 07, 2012

SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Health (MOH) has been informed of a case of avian influenza A(H5N1) in an eight-year-old girl from Indonesia who had travelled to Singapore.

The MOH said the girl had developed fever in Singapore on June 18 and returned to Indonesia on June 24. She died on Tuesday.

As a precaution, the MOH has alerted hospitals to the case and has commenced tracing her contacts in Singapore.

The girl, who stayed at a hotel with her mother and other relatives, saw a general practitioner for a high fever on June 22. Her relative who lives here and the doctor who treated her are well.

The Indonesian health authorities are monitoring her contacts, including family members, all of whom remain well.

Cases of avian influenza A in humans have been reported in several countries, including Indonesia, intermittently since 2004.

To date, the efficient spread of H5N1 from person to person has not been reported and the MOH has not been notified of any local cases.