On tackling the spread of Zika virus, Masagos Zulkifli said over 200 mosquitoes breeding habitats have been destroyed during inspections of National Environment Agency since the first locally-transmitted Zika case reported on August 27. The most common symptoms of the virus are rash, joint pain, fever and red eyes. “None of the five patients are related and neither are they pregnant”, Dr. Williams-Rodriguez said.
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On September 6, 17 new cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection were reported in Singapore.
The DOH is now intensifying its surveillance and mosquito-control efforts in Iloilo, with health personnel visiting 88 households near the house of three infected residents.
Thevarajan tells SciDev.Net that Zika transmission actually has very little to do with cleanliness and much more to do with the presence of vectors and breeding sites for the mosquitoes.
Meanwhile, Ubial is calling for a strengthened campaign against mosquito-borne diseases in order to prevent the increase in the number of Zika cases in the area.
For all individuals while travelling, condom use is recommended whilst visiting an area with active Zika virus transmission.
Global health officials have found a connection between pregnant women contracting the virus and a birth defect called microcephaly in their newborn infants.
The Zika virus is transmitted through mosquito bites, sexual contact, blood transfusions or by a pregnant woman to her foetus. Signs of Zika have been found in blood, urine, semen and saliva, and the case could direct new research into whether it can also be carried in things like tears or stools, she said.
Nila made the statement in response to public anxiety following the death of a patient diagnosed with Zika in Malaysia recently. The tests will be sent to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension District Office in Stephenville where they will be tested by an entomologist.
As well as microcephaly, Zika has been associated with other neurological disorders including serious brain and spinal cord infections, and the long-term health consequences of are unclear.
Pregnant women and those planning to get pregnant are also being advised to visit their doctors for any illnesses they would develop.
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Despite the increase in reported cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) is yet to determine the exact incubation period. The infected son did say that he assisted health care workers in taking stool samples from his father, though he didn’t handle them directly.
