To reduce the risk of Zika infection, Jose urged Filipinos to use insect repellants and put up window and door screens; wear long-sleeved shirts and long trousers; and read up on the symptoms of Zika.
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SINGAPORE, Aug 30 (Reuters) – Australia, Taiwan and South Korea advised pregnant women and those attempting to get pregnant to avoid travel to Singapore after an outbreak of the Zika virus infected more than 50 people in the city-state.
Singaporean health officials announced on August 29 that the number of locally transmitted Zika cases in the city has now reached 56 with the addition of 15 new cases.
The new cases identified are in the same Aljunied and Sims Drive area in the southeast of the island, where authorities had previously identified 41 cases of Zika virus infection.
Under the MOFA’s four-color coded system, the highest level is red, followed by orange, yellow and gray.
Zika causes only mild symptoms for most people, such as fever and a rash, and has been detected in 58 countries, particularly Brazil.
Zika is spread mostly by infected Aedes species mosquitoes, which are not found in North Dakota.
A worker fogs the corridor of a public housing estate in the vicinity where a locally transmitted Zika virus case was discovered, in Singapore August 29, 2016.
“Whenever you have one local case that is not imported, you are very likely to see more cases already hiding in the community”, Jasper Chan, clinical assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Microbiology, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box “.
SINGAPORE clinics reported more Zika infections yesterday, bringing the total of suspected cases to 50. Infection during pregnancy can result in babies with small heads – a condition called microcephaly – and other brain defects.
THE Health Department said Monday it is closely monitoring and testing travelers from countries where the Zika virus is endemic to prevent its spread in the Philippines.
In May, a 48-year-old male Singapore permanent resident returning from Brazil, where Zika is rife, was the first known Zika case here.
But all the latest cases involved local transmission.
Contractors in protective gear were yesterday pumping a mosquito-killing mist over large areas of the suburb.
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The city-state has in recent days waged war on mosquitoes, with teams of NEA inspectors visiting homes to check for mosquito breeding sites while pest controllers have saturated affected estates with insecticide.
