The positive tests mean that the virus is still active in the area despite efforts to combat it, reported The New York Times.
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NEA said it is continuing with its vector control operations to control the Aedes mosquito population in Aljunied Crescent, Sims Drive, Kallang Way and Paya Lebar Way.
The danger of mosquito-borne Zika infection for pregnant American women became more imminent last month, with two neighborhoods in the Miami area reporting cases of locally acquired infection.
Benign in most people, Zika has been linked to a form of severe birth defect called microcephaly which causes newborns’ heads to be abnormally small.
World Health Organization had however stressed that since the Games were held during the Brazilian winter, risk of transmission of the mosquito-borne virus was “minimal”.
Brazil reported that none of the athletes or people who attended the Olympics was infected with Zika and said the upcoming Paralympics also would be safe.
A study in Brazil of 70 babies whose mothers had confirmed Zika infections found that almost 6 percent had hearing loss, adding a new complication to the list of ills the virus can cause when women are infected during pregnancy.
“Zika cases are expected to increase further (in Malaysia), especially if prevention activities for Aedes are not seriously taken up by the community, individuals and other relevant agencies”, the health ministry statement said.
The report, headed “Potential for Zika virus introduction and transmission in resource-limited countries in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region: a modelling study”, suggests that the Philippines, Vietnam, Pakistan and Bangladesh could be particularly vulnerable to a Zika outbreak.
The CDC is recommending pregnant women avoid traveling to Zika-affected areas which include areas of Florida http://www.cdc.gov/zika/intheus/florida-update.html and countries ranging from Mexico into the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
In his first comments since the influx of Zika infections, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a Facebook post Thursday that “Our best defense is to eradicate mosquitoes and destroy breeding habitats, all over Singapore”.
On Tuesday, the head of the CDC said federal funds to combat the Zika virus are almost exhausted and there will be no money to fight a new outbreak unless Congress approves more funding.
Harrison said she hopes that come next year’s mosquito season, the outbreak of Zika will have waned a bit, but that at this point it is to hard to tell.
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State officials have refused to identify the other two locations in Miami Beach where mosquitoes tested positive for Zika, citing a statutory exemption for epidemiological investigations.
