MOH has sent out circulars to doctors and health institutions to alert all doctors to actively look out for cases with Influenza-Like-Illness (ILIs) symptoms and recent travel history to affected areas
Further details for Healthcare Practitioners are available through the Health Professionals Portal
• Healthcare workers in high risk areas (e.g. Intensive Care Units, Operating Theatres/Rooms, Emergency Departments) will be required to use full personal protective equipment (PPE) (e.g. N95 mask, disposable gloves, eye protection & gowns).
• Healthcare workers should continue to use the appropriate PPE in all other clinical areas.
• Enhanced triage and screening measures (such as temperature screening, screening for symptoms of flu-like illness) of visitors to clinical areas.
• Hospitals will enforce visiting hours and limit the number of visitors to 2 visitors per patient at any one time
• Hospitals will record the contact particulars of all visitors to clinical to help facilitate contact tracing.
• Inter-hospital movement of patients restricted to medically indicated transfers only.
• Inter-hospital movement of doctors and healthcare workers restricted to essential services.
• Elective admissions have been reduced to increase hospital capacity.
• All patients with symptoms of influenza and travel history to affected areas will be isolated and managed appropriately.
• Triage of patients at reception to separate flu/febrile patients from other patients by checking symptoms & taking body temperature.
• Flu/febrile patients to wear surgical masks and separated from other patients while in clinic
• Exercise strict infection control precautions by staff (temperature screening for all staff; triage staff to don full PPE; doctors to don PPE while attending to high risk patients)
PPCs or Pandemic Preparedness Clinics are primary healthcare providers that form a vital part of the Health Ministry's Flu Pandemic Response Framework.
PPCs are supported with Personal Protection Equipment and Tamiflu from the national stockpile to help manage the flu outbreak in the community. All polyclinics are also part of the PPC framework. Being located islandwide, PPCs will help ensure easy access to medical assessment and prompt treatment for people with flu-like illnesses. PPCs have undergone the necessary training to enable them to manage both flu and patients with other health conditions safely. Pandemic Preparedness Clinics (PPCs) can be recognised by the “H1N1 ready” symbol.
• Visitors are required to fill in a self-declaration form indicating their NRIC, contact numbers and travel history.
• Patients with flu-like symptoms and/or fever will be instructed to wear surgical masks and will be separated from other patients.
• To minimize cross-infection, patients with influenza will be managed in separate facilities from non-influenza patients.
• Exercise strict infection control precautions by staff (temperature screening for all staff; doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers to done PPE while attending to high risk patients and at triage)
In the initial phase of H1N1 (2009) outbreak, temperature screening was implemented at the border checkpoints to contain the spread of the virus into the community. As Influenza A (H1N1-2009) has become endemic among global communities, and with localised community spread in Singapore, temperature screening at our borders is now less useful than before there was local community spread. As such, these temperature screening measures at our border checkpoints has been discontinued since 11 July 2009. H1N1 is now a global pandemic. It is widely circulating in all communities. Hence, the WHO does not recommend any travel advisory. For reader's information, the list of countries with confirmed cases and/or exported H1N1 cases is available on MOH's website at www.moh.gov.sg For more information on Influenza A (H1N1-2009) & PPCs, please access MOH's website, call our hotline at 1800-333 9999, or visit www.flu.gov.sg
• Strengthen and maintain public education on good personal and public hygiene habits, healthy living
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