With the “ongoing transmission of Zika virus” in Singapore, travellers to the city-state should take additional measures advised by health authorities, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in an update on its website.
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The mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has caused explosive outbreaks in the Americas and the Caribbean since late a year ago, poses a particular risk to pregnant women because it can cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains.
Zika virus is transmitted primarily through the bites of Aedes species mosquitoes and through sexual activity.
Harris said pregnant women should heed Zika warnings and not travel to affected areas, including parts of Latin America and some counties in southern Florida.
The UK government has also advised women who are pregnant or planning to conceive to discuss their travel plans with their doctor before travelling to Singapore. Tourists from South Korea will receive text messages regarding the advisory when they arrive in the city-state.
The Zika virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects.
Singapore’s Tourism Board said it was monitoring developments, adding the city state remained a “safe travel destination”, and it was premature to consider any impact.
At least five of 26 new cases confirmed late on Tuesday were detected outside the initial cluster in the Aljunied area in the southeast of Singapore, the health ministry and National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint statement.
Singapore’s first reported case of Zika in May involved a man who had visited Sao Paulo in Brazil earlier in the year.
Neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia have stepped up protective measures, introducing thermal scanners at airports and border checkpoints with Singapore.
Online retailer Lazada Singapore said on Tuesday it has seen sales of mosquito repellent and other deterrent products rise fivefold over the past three days compared to a week ago.
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On Aug. 28, the local government issued an order to halt all work being done in the GuocoLand-owned construction site, where most of the infected foreign workers are staying.
