Fed govt issues alert on Zika in Singapore

The number of people in Singapore infected by the Zika virus has gone up, with the Ministry of Health (MOH) saying yesterday that 41, most of whom are foreign construction workers, have tested positive.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Health (MOH), 41 cases were discovered among residents and workers in the Aljunied Crescent/Sims Drive area.

Of the infected patients, 34 have recovered, and seven remain at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The revelation of the locally-transmitted infections in Singapore are in addition to the 58 countries and territories where the Zika virus is circulating, according to the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control.

“They have not traveled recently in areas affected by Zika, and therefore were probably infected in Singapore”, semon the statement.

Of the 41 Zika cases confirmed on Sunday by the government, 36 were foreigners working at a condominium construction site.

The National Environment Agency has worked to deploy over 200 officers to examine any possible mosquito breeding areas and destroy them to prevent any further spread of the virus.

Readers are also advised to monitor your health and to seek medical attention if you display symptoms such as fever and rash. “Testing of mosquitoes in Singapore will be important”, she said, adding that “local transmission in Singapore also raises the threat of more widespread transmission within Asia”.

USA health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.

The current Zika outbreak began in Brazil in the spring of 2015.

State health officials, who are conducting 10 investigations into local Zika cases in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Pinellas counties, reported no new travel related cases.

Workers wearing fumigation masks moved methodically through high-rise public housing estates, inspecting plant pots and spraying insecticide via thermal fogging machines. “Asymptomatic (cases are) a bigger problem because they do not know they have it in their bodies, and they can cause (the virus) to spread to other people”.

Authorities confirmed the first locally transmitted case on August 25. Oskar Pribadi, a health ministry official, said there had been no recent Zika cases in the country.

Three women, aged 24, 26, and 32, and a 44-year-old man were suspected to be infected by the Zika virus.

Malaysia said on Sunday it stepped up surveillance at main transit points with Singapore – handing out leaflets on Zika prevention and having paramedics ready to handle visitors with potential symptoms of the virus. And 53 countries have reported first-time outbreaks.