SINGAPORE, Feb 3 — Singapore has tightened screening for newly arrived migrant workers from India’s West Bengal state after two Nipah virus cases were confirmed there, though authorities say no infections have been detected locally. 

In a statement to Singapore-based media organisation CNA today, the country’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said travellers from West Bengal must undergo daily temperature checks while staying at the onboard centre, followed by 14 days of self-monitoring after arrival.

The stepped-up protocol follows the Communicable Diseases Agency outlining its initial response to the outbreak in India, where two cases have been reported since December. 

Singapore receives only “a relatively small number” of workers from the state each month, MOM said, but surveillance at onboard centres and dormitories has been tightened “as a precautionary measure”.

New arrivals already sanitise their hands, wear surgical masks and undergo temperature checks on entry. They also complete a health questionnaire. 

MOM said “headache” has now been added to the list of symptoms “in line with the reported symptoms of the Nipah virus”, alongside fever, cough, rashes and runny nose. 

Workers must declare recent travel to West Bengal, with symptomatic individuals isolated and referred for medical assessment.

The onboard centre houses new work-permit holders from the construction, marine shipyard and process sectors for a three-day stay that includes medical checks and a settling-in programme. 

MOM said those who have travelled to West Bengal must keep monitoring their temperatures after leaving the centre and seek medical care if they fall ill.

Healthcare providers serving migrant workers have also increased vigilance. 

St Andrew’s Mission Hospital, which anchors primary care for more than 100,000 workers, said all patients are now asked about recent travel to Bangladesh or West Bengal and assessed for Nipah risk factors if they present flu-like symptoms. 

The centre has not seen any suspected cases but said isolation and referral workflows are in place.

Fullerton Health, another anchor operator, said its doctors have been briefed on Nipah’s clinical features and the importance of travel and exposure histories. 

Routine segregation of patients with fever or respiratory symptoms remains in place, with “additional screening questions” added as a precaution. 

“While there are currently no reported cases of (Nipah virus) in Singapore and no indication of sustained community transmission locally, we continue to monitor the situation closely,” said Dr Marcus Lee.

MOM said advisories have been issued to workers via the FWMOMCare app and to employers, while dormitory operators have been instructed on isolation and reporting procedures. 

Migrant worker dormitories, which saw large-scale outbreaks during the Covid-19 pandemic, now operate under stricter standards and upgraded isolation facilities.