SAF STEPS UP PREVENTIVE MEASURES AGAINST H1N1

With the rising number of H1N1 infections in Singapore, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has ramped up its efforts to deal with the current pandemic, adopting additional measures to detect and control the spread of the virus.

Speaking to the local media on 24 Jun, Chief of Army Major-General (MG) Neo Kian Hong said that these enhanced measures will be implemented with immediate effect, to ensure that servicemen are protected while maintaining the operational readiness of the SAF.

Precautionary procedures include daily temperature taking, self-declaration of illness and active surveillance for early detection of potential H1N1-infection. Servicemen with flu-like symptoms are also advised to report to their camp medical centre, where they will be segregated from the other patients to prevent possible transmission of the virus.

These centres are equipped with rapid test kits, which can test and diagnose for H1N1 cases in less than half an hour.

"All of our SAF medical centres are H1N1-ready, which means they have personal protective equipment for all the healthcare workers, good infection control practices, and also adequate stocks of Tamiflu prophylaxis to treat infected individuals," said medical officer Major (MAJ) (Dr) Vernon Lee from Headquarters Medical Corps.

Once the medical officer on duty has assessed that a serviceman meets the suspect case criteria established by the Ministry of Health (MOH), he will be sent to a public hospital via ambulance for further testing and treatment.

Personnel who were in close contact with the servicemen will be subsequently identified and issued with a Home Quarantine Order, where they will take their temperature twice in a day and give a daily update to their units about their condition.

To date, there are nine SAF personnel who have contracted the H1N1 virus, with seven cases from Maju Camp.

Apart from adhering to MOH guidelines, the SAF has taken added steps to physically separate units with infected servicemen from their counterparts in the same camp.

For example, the various platoons within a company will be allocated different shifts or areas to carry out their training and operational activities This enables the SAF to continue its training while minimising contact to prevent the further spread of the virus.

The premises of affected units will also undergo thorough disinfection. Other additional measures which will be taken include the systematic screening for the H1N1 virus, nasal swabs for virus-testing and prescription of the anti-viral medicine, Tamiflu.

"All these measures have been planned beforehand and rehearsed several times across the SAF. We are now implementing various parts of this continuity plan based on the current situation," concluded MG Neo.

"All activities such as In-Camp Training will still continue, but we will continue to monitor the situation very carefully and adjust our plans accordingly."