Singapore on Sunday, August 28, reported 40 more cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infections, majority foreign workers at a construction site.
Advertisement
The cases include 36 foreign construction workers employed at a site in Aljunied, in the southeast of the island, the Straits Times newspaper and Channel News Asia television reported.
Singapore in May reported the first imported case of Zika virus infection – a 48-year-old male Singapore resident who had traveled to Sao Paulo in Brazil earlier in the year.
Authorities have tested 124 people, primarily construction workers.
He urged those returning from countries with reported cases of Zika infection to have themselves tested voluntarily at major hospitals. Thirty-four patients have fully recovered.
Two infectious experts warned in January this year that the city state could be “extremely vulnerable” to the Zika virus, according to a local state-run radio station, 938LIVE.
Given that the Zika virus is spread by the Aedes mosquito vector, MOH can not rule out further community transmission in Singapore, since some of those tested positive also live or work in other parts of Singapore.
WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency in February. 13 cases live or work in the broader Sims Drive/ Aljunied Crescent area.
Commenting further, Noor Hisham said beginning this year, the ministry had intensified monitoring as well as taken preventive and vector control measures at all worldwide entry points for foreign visitors and locals returning from Zika-infected nations.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) announced Saturday that the case involved a 47-year-old Malaysian woman who had developed a fever, rash and conjunctivitis on August 25.
US health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems.
The virus has been spreading across Latin American countries since the start of this year.
Zika causes only mild symptoms for most people, such as fever and a rash. “Residents should play their role in helping to control the population by taking steps like the five-step mozzie wipeout, checking their homes are free of mosquito breeding sites and being vigilant by informing a doctor of potential symptoms, as well as (sharing) their travel history, especially if they have been to areas affected by Zika”.
It can also cause Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults, an acute disorder of the peripheral nerves that could cause weakness and paralysis of the limbs.
Advertisement
However, all of the latest cases involved local transmission.
