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Benefits of SG Arrival Card System on Public Health Outcomes and Plans for Discontinuation

Debated in Parliament on 7 Aug 2024.

Summary

  • The SG Arrival Card system is a key public health surveillance tool focused on managing infectious diseases like Yellow Fever and Ebola, aiding in the early detection of high-risk travelers.
  • Approximately 240 travelers per month report symptoms upon entry, prompting medical assessments to mitigate the risk of disease spread in Singapore.
  • Travelers without valid vaccination certificates from endemic regions are quarantined to prevent Yellow Fever transmission.
  • The Ministry of Health plans to update health declarations for new infectious diseases as needed, indicating the system will remain in place while there are ongoing risks.

Summary written by AI (edit)

Full Transcript

Gerald Giam Yean Song

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Health (a) what measurable benefits has the SG Arrival Card system provided in terms of public health outcomes since its implementation; (b) what percentage of travellers have reported being unwell through the system; (c) of these, what percentage have been contacted for follow-up and what actions have been taken; (d) whether there are any plans to discontinue the use of the system at all checkpoints; and (e) if so, what are the criteria or conditions that will trigger such a decision.

Ong Ye Kung

The electronic Health Declaration through the SG Arrival Card is an essential public health surveillance measure to manage infectious diseases of concern, such as Yellow Fever, Ebola, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Mpox. Some of these diseases are already endemic in many countries, but not Singapore, which explains why we still retain this border measure. It facilitates the early detection of high-risk travellers and reduces the risk of such infectious diseases taking root in Singapore.

All travellers entering Singapore who declare symptoms and have relevant travel history are medically assessed. On average, there are about 240 such travellers per month. Further, travellers who are well and with recent travel history to Yellow Fever endemic countries but do not have a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate, will be quarantined to protect against the risk of spread of Yellow Fever in Singapore.

The Ministry of Health will update the health declaration for new emerging infectious diseases when necessary. So long as there are risks of importing new emerging infectious diseases of concern that are not endemic in Singapore, there will be a need for the health declaration.