Singapore reported its first travel-related case of Zika on May 13.
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According to the statement, 34 have fully recovered, while the other seven, who still have symptoms and are potentially infectious, are now recovering at a hospital. All of the patients either live or work in the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive area.
Singapore, on Monday, confirmed that the number of people infected by the Zika virus has gone up to 41, most of whom are foreign construction workers.
Zika virus is of greatest threat to pregnant women, as their child may be at risk for certain severe birth defects as a result of infection.
Singapore had reported a case of Zika in May, in a man who had been to Brazil, the country at the center of the global Zika outbreak.
The government Sunday confirmed a total of 41 Zika cases, of whom 36 are foreigners working at a condominium construction site.
“They are not known to have travelled to Zika-affected areas recently, and are thus likely to have been infected in Singapore”, they said.
Singapore’s National Environment Agency has deployed more than 200 officers to inspect the affected area and conduct mosquito-eradication and mosquito-breeding prevention operations, such as thermal fogging, drain flushing and oiling. The virus has been linked to microcephaly, in which the baby is born with an exceptionally small and misshapen head. The day before, authorities said they had confirmed Singapore’s first case of the Zika virus being transmitted locally.
The ministry urged residents to cooperate with the NEA and warned that it would enter buildings by force if necessary to destroy habitats where mosquitoes can breed.
After the initial report on the Malaysian woman, Malaysia’s Health Ministry made a decision to step up health screenings at Johor checkpoints.
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Last week Hong Kong reported what was thought to be its first locally transmitted Zika case but that person has since tested negative for the virus. “Thailand has, however, managed to contain the problem through early detection”. The current strain of Zika sweeping through Latin America and the Caribbean originated in Asia, where people may have built up greater immunity.
