However, since Zika is spread by the Aedes mosquito – which also carries the dengue virus – the health ministry “cannot rule out further community transmission… since some of those tested positive also live or work in other parts of Singapore”, the statement said.
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Spray trucks are scheduled to be out spraying pesticide in the city for the seventh time this summer to fight the spread of the Zika and West Nile viruses.
Of those in the United States with Zika, 2,487 were infected while traveling, 29 acquired Zika locally, most of which were in the Miami-Dade County area of Florida.
The agency has the authority to enter buildings by force if necessary to destroy habitats where mosquitoes can breed.
“This confirms that local transmission of Zika virus infection has taken place”, the ministry said.
As of August 24, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported there were 2,517 Zika-related cases in the United States and 9,011 in US territories.
Learning her block would be sprayed didn’t concern her much, Mills said, because she felt pregnant women and others are more at risk than her.
Local residents welcomed the clean-up.
At yesterday’s briefing, Professor Leo Yee Sin, senior consultant at the CDC, said it has not determined if the local transmission of the virus was attributed to one person.
Malaysia has stepped up surveillance at main transit points with Singapore, where Zika prevention leaflets are being handed out.
“It was just a precautionary measure to make sure that we eliminate mosquito populations in close proximity to the human case”, Banks said.
While the cases identified so far involve workers and residents in the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive area, more new cases can be expected, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong. “Thailand has, however, managed to contain the problem through early detection”.
Pic: AFPSINGAPORE: Singapore on Monday confirmed more Zika infections, bringing the total number of cases past 50 as mosquito-fighting teams saturated the scene of the outbreak amid growing public alarm.
Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Armanatha Nasir said the country was “following developments”.
All medical services in Singapore had been alerted “to be extra vigilant” and immediately report any Zika-associated symptoms to the health ministry.
The current strain of Zika that is sweeping through Latin America and the Caribbean originated in Asia, where people could have built up greater immunity.
Pregnant women who get infected may give birth to babies with small heads, a condition called microcephaly, and other brain defects.
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The WHO has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.
