SINGAPORE, Feb 6 — Singapore is stepping up precautionary public health measures to prevent community transmission after detecting an increase in the number of measles cases in the country, said the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA).

The measures include mandatory isolation of confirmed cases and contact tracing for all infected cases.

“Cases who are not admitted to hospitals will be placed on home isolation, and random video call checks will be conducted throughout their period of isolation to ensure compliance.

“Individuals who fail to comply with any home isolation or quarantine order issued under the Infectious Diseases Act may be guilty of an offence and be liable on conviction to imprisonment and/or a fine,” the CDA said in a statement today.

The agency said the city-state recorded 11 measles cases in January 2026, compared to two cases in January 2025.

All 11 cases involved individuals who were not fully vaccinated, including three infants under 12 months old who were not yet eligible for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination.

Among the cases, one was a tourist. The others live in Singapore. Seven cases had travelled overseas recently.

Three of the cases were subsequently confirmed by laboratory testing to be genetically linked, even though they had no known contact with each other.

“This suggests the possibility of undetected local transmission in the community. Epidemiological investigations are ongoing,” it said.

According to CDA, while Singapore achieved measles elimination status in 2018, the risk of imported cases lingers.

CDA noted that the rise in cases in Singapore reflects a worldwide trend. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported 11 million measles infections globally in 2024 — a number that exceeds pre-pandemic levels by 800,000 cases.

As of November 2025, the WHO reported 42,000 confirmed cases in the Western-Pacific region (East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and most of Southeast Asia) compared to 8,000 cases in 2024, representing a five-fold increase.

The Americas and Europe also saw measles outbreaks in 2025. At least seven countries, including Canada and the UK, lost their measles elimination status due to sustained transmission. — Bernama