Referring to a viral social media post alleging that mpox was currently spreading in Singapore, government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said the health ministry had confirmed that the claim was false.

“If there is an issue, you can refer to the relevant ministry. You can check with the health ministry about mpox,” Fahmi, who is also the communications minister, said at a press conference after a Cabinet meeting chaired by deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof.

Yesterday, the health ministry said on its Facebook page that an image that was claimed to be that of an mpox case was actually of a shotgun injury, as published in a news article from a foreign website on Sept 17, 2022.

On Aug 15, the ministry confirmed that no new cases of mpox had been reported in Malaysia to date, despite a recent increase in cases in the African region.

The health ministry said there had been nine confirmed mpox cases in Malaysia, with the first reported on July 26, 2023, and the last in November 2023.