SINGAPORE: Singapore has reported a rise in the number of measles cases this year, with 14 infections as of the week ending Jul 12, compared with 11 cases in the whole of 2024 and eight cases in 2023.
Among the 14 cases, five were infected locally. All five are adults – one had been fully vaccinated against measles, while the vaccination status of the other four is unknown, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Wednesday (Jul 23).
The other nine people contracted measles overseas.
“While the number of cases seen this year has increased compared to last year, it is lower compared to the pre-COVID years from 2015 to 2019, when the number of cases ranged from 25 to 93 during the same period,” CDA said in response to CNA’s queries amid a rise in cases globally.
The United States in 2025 recorded its worst measles epidemic in more than 30 years.
More than 1,200 cases have been confirmed since the beginning of the year in nearly 40 of the 50 US states, with Texas accounting for over 60 per cent of the outbreak, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Canada, which officially eradicated measles in 1998, has registered more than 3,500 cases this year.
In Southeast Asia, the Philippines reported more than 2,000 cases as of May 10, while Vietnam recorded more than 81,000 suspected cases as of May, according to UNICEF.
LOW RISK OF OUTBREAKS IN SINGAPORE
Singapore’s CDA noted that the rise in cases globally is due to falling measles vaccination rates in some countries and regions.
“Given Singapore’s position as a major travel hub and the surge in measles cases globally and regionally, we can continue to expect sporadic cases and small clusters because measles is highly transmissible among non-immune individuals,” the agency said.
“The risk of large outbreaks in the community is low given Singapore’s high vaccination coverage among local residents. Therefore, no additional border health measures will be implemented at this time.”
