Singapore, which has already confirmed 18 cases of Influenza A/H1N1, will change its containment strategy to mitigation in dealing with the virus if the World Health Organization (WHO) declares a global A/H1N1 flu pandemic.

According to the Channel News Asia reports on Thursday night, this means that instead of being treated at hospitals, patients in the city state will be eventually treated by general practitioners at clinics, and home quarantine orders will also be lifted when there exists community spread.

Singapore will still try its best with the containment strategy to buy time to prepare for the flu pandemic.

The world health body is expected to hold an emergency meeting in Geneva later Thursday on whether to declare a global flu pandemic.

In Singapore, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Thursday that general practitioners in the country are still being trained and the lab capabilities for testing A/H1N1 flu need to be ramped up further.

The minister said that community spread is a matter of time, but the country's efforts have been meaningful.

It has been two months since the world health body sounded the alarm and there is no community spread in the city state, he said, adding that the A/H1N1 vaccine will be ordered in batches, although no decisions have been made on who or when to vaccinate.

Singapore reported its first confirmed case of Influenza A/H1N1on May 27, and to date, 12 of the 18 confirmed cases have been discharged from hospital.

(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2009)