World Health Organization earlier had suggested pregnant women not to visit those countries or territories where Zika virus has been circulating as it is linked with birth defects. It poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects.
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The look-back exercise would likely uncover more previously undiagnosed cases of Zika, it added.
Deaths are rare in the disease and only one-in-five people infected is thought to develop symptoms.
The first case in Singapore was discovered after a man visited Brazil.
Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial said they were watching all the ports of entry “to make sure the virus will not get to our shores”.
It is possible Zika has been present in Singapore in the past, but not tested for, MacIntyre said via e-mail. It became evident that the virus has transmitted locally as none of those infected had recently traveled to a place with Zika outbreak.
So far, all the confirmed cases are residents or workers in the Aljunied Crescent/ Sims Drive area.
On Monday, inspectors from the environment agency checking for mosquito-breeding sites visited homes in the area as well as dormitories housing foreign workers.
MOH has confirmed 41 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection in Singapore, and of these, 34 people have fully recovered while the other seven, who are still symptomatic and potentially infectious, are recovering at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
LDH said they are committed to protecting the citizens of Louisiana by minimizing risks from the Zika virus.
Tin Pei Ling, a member of parliament in MacPherson constituency where the first locally-transmitted case was detected, has even launched efforts to keep pregnant women in the area “updated and assured” of the situation, local newspaper The Straits Times reported Monday.
Michelle Feist, epidemiology and surveillance program manager at the North Dakota Department of Health, said active transmission of Zika is not happening in North Dakota, because the types of mosquitos that carry the virus are not found in the state. They are unlikely to travel often. “Australia’sDepartment of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Taiwan’sCenters for Disease Control said on their respective websites that pregnant women should defer nonessential travel to Singapore and adopt additional measures to protect themselves from mosquito bites”.
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Separately, MOH and the Clinical Advisory Group (CAG) on Zika and Pregnancy are advising pregnant women exhibiting symptoms such as fever, rash, red eyes or joint pain to be tested for the Zika virus.
