Zika outbreak a concern but remain calm, says Amy Khor
By
Tan Weizhen
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Published: 6:30 PM, August 31, 2016
Updated: 6:53 PM, August 31, 2016
SINGAPORE — The increase in the number of confirmed Zika cases is cause for concern, but the public should remain calm and go about their daily activities as usual, said Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources and Health Amy Khor.
Noting that cases are likely to continue to emerge, Dr Khor acknowledged that fighting Zika is challenging simply because of the high volume of travel in and out of Singapore, but Singapore has been able to manage the spread of dengue — which can have more serious symptoms than Zika — and chikungunya using the same mosquito population control strategies which are being used for Zika now.
“I know that Singaporeans understandably will become more concerned when we announce new cases, I want to take this opportunity to urge everyone including pregnant women to stay calm. Take the necessary precautions then we can go on our normal daily activities,” she said.
Dr Khor was speaking during a visit to Block 121 Paya Lebar Way on Wednesday (Aug 31) morning, where National Environment Agency (NEA) operations were underway to clamp down on mosquito breeding.
Since confirmed cases of Zika emerged the Kallang Way and Paya Lebar way areas on Tuesday — five of the newly-diagnosed cases on Tuesday live or work in these areas — the NEA has begun inspecting premises and public spaces in this area, as well as carry out fogging and misting. More than 60 per cent of over 1,000 premises in both areas have been checked, shared Dr Khor on Wednesday.
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First case of pregnant woman with Zika in Singapore; potential new cluster at Bedok North Ave 3
MOH also identified another potential Zika cluster at Bedok North Avenue 3, on Aug 31, 2016.
Published 11 hours ago
Chew Hui Min
Linette Lai
Yeo Sam Jo
SINGAPORE - A pregnant woman is among another 24 cases of Zika infections confirmed as of noon on Wednesday (Aug 31).
The pregnant patient lives in the Aljunied area. A member of her household had earlier been diagnosed with Zika.
Doctors are following up closely with her and are monitoring the development of the baby, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a briefing on Wednesday night.
It is unlikely that a member of the woman’s household infected her or vice versa, because the symptoms emerged around the same time, health experts said at the briefing.
While 22 of the new cases are from the existing cluster at Aljunied, two have no known links to the affected areas of Sims Drive, Aljunied Crescent, Paya Lebar Way and Kallang Way.
One case lives in Joo Seng Road while another lives at Punggol Way.
There is also a new potential cluster at Bedok North Avenue 3, MOH said. The three cases there were diagnosed on Tuesday.
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Virus spreads beyond Aljunied area
NEA will start vector control operations in Bedok North Avenue 3, where there are over 6,000 premises to be inspected. The agency said officers may have to enter homes by force if home owners do not respond to notices.
Published 4 hours ago
Chew Hui Min
Yeo Sam Jo
Three Zika patients living in Bedok North Avenue 3 may constitute a new cluster of infection, indicating the spread of the virus beyond the Aljunied area.
Of the three individuals, who were diagnosed on Tuesday, one works in the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive area, where the first locally transmitted instances of Zika were diagnosed.
Two others have no known links to the area, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a press briefing yesterday.
The news has rattled Bedok residents like Ms Ng Hui Wei.
“I’m definitely worried. My sister just got married. She lives nearby in Jalan Tenaga and comes home to visit,” said Ms Ng, 30, late last night.
MOH also confirmed two new cases in areas previously not known to be affected. One is a resident in Joo Seng Road, a stone’s throw from Kallang Way, while another lives in Punggol Way.
Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong warned that more cases will come from other parts of the island.
“Over time, we expect Zika cases to emerge from more areas. We must work and plan on the basis that there is Zika transmission in other parts of Singapore,” he said in a joint statement from MOH and the National Environment Agency (NEA) last night.
Operations to control the breeding of mosquitoes will be extended beyond the current areas. NEA will start vector control operations in Bedok North Avenue 3, where there are more than 6,000 premises to be inspected.
Officers from the agency may have to enter homes by force if home owners do not respond to notices, NEA said.
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Companies take precautions to keep workers safe
Published5 hours ago
Jalelah Abu Baker
Rachel Oh
Company fund for mosquito repellents and patches - check.
Advisory to employees to pack their lunches and eat in the sanctuary of the office - check.
Businesses in the Kallang Way industrial estate are taking steps to protect their workers in the wake of news that it is one of two new spots where Zika patients live or work.
On Tuesday, the authorities confirmed 26 more cases of locally transmitted Zika infections; five of them are based in Paya Lebar Way and Kallang Way.
Ms Jessica Chiah, 43, a senior indoor sales manager from engineering firm Te Deum, told The Straits Times yesterday that her employer told her to use company money to buy mosquito repellents and patches for employees.
She added that she immediately checked on her 26-year-old colleague, who is three months pregnant. “I asked her to take care by wearing mosquito patches, and explained how the virus affects unborn babies,” she said.
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Lifetime immunity after infection
Published 5 hours ago
Zika is a new infectious disease of great concern to many people, especially as not very much is known about it. AskST shares answers to some questions that people are asking about the disease.
Q Can a person get Zika many times, like we can with dengue? Or does getting infected once confer immunity?
A One infection should confer lifetime immunity against the disease, said Professor Leo Yee Sin, a senior infectious diseases consultant at the Communicable Disease Centre.
Q In that case, should young couples try to get infected so they do not get the disease when they want to raise a family?
A Prof Leo said that while this may sound logical, not enough is known about the disease to advise this course of action.
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Expectant mums take precautions
Published 5 hours ago
Olivia Ho
Ms Norashikin Baharul Hisham is keeping all the windows in her flat shut, even though it gets stuffy.
The 31-year-old housewife, who is five months pregnant, is afraid of letting in mosquitoes which carry the Zika virus.
The Ministry of Health said yesterday a pregnant woman living in the cluster around Sims Drive and Aljunied Crescent had been infected. But expectant mothers everywhere are fretting, even those who do not live near the affected areas.
Zika is associated with microcephaly in unborn babies, a birth defect in which they are born with abnormally small heads.
Ms Norashikin, who lives in a Bukit Batok rental flat, tries not to go out in the day and keeps her windows shut against the Aedes mosquito, which spreads the virus.
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Made-in-Singapore kit can test for 3 viruses, including Zika, in 2 hours
Published 5 hours ago
Costing a few dollars to produce, it has drawn keen global interest
Carolyn Khew
Scientists in Singapore have developed a kit that can test for the dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses all at the same time in a matter of two hours.
Now ready for use, the kit costs only a few dollars to produce and has attracted interest from other countries and even the World Health Organisation (WHO), said Dr Masafumi Inoue, a senior research scientist at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research’s (A*Star) Experimental Therapeutics Centre who is part of the team that developed the kit.
The made-in-Singapore kit is among others that the WHO is interested in testing, he said.
He added that he is currently compiling clinical data for the health authority before sending the kit over for testing. If successful, it could be used by the WHO to test for the viruses.
The three mosquito-borne viruses here cause similar symptoms such as rashes and joint pain. Symptoms for the Zika virus are generally mild and go away within a week.
“It is important to quickly distinguish between the three major (and prevalent) mosquito-borne viruses here… This will not only lessen the mental stress on the patient and give the patient peace of mind, but also ensure that he or she can receive the appropriate sort of treatment and care without delay,” said Dr Inoue.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
samster101
I stay in aljunied. Jia lat…..
Take precautions as advised by the MOH and NEA . If you see a mosquito just killed it . Please stay safe and healthy . If unwell go see doctor . Cannot go Geylang already .
Zika outbreak: 57 infected are foreigners living and working in Singapore
The Ministry of Health has reported that 57 out of the 115 cases tested positive for Zika are foreigners.
Published 2 hours ago
Updated 23 min ago
Chew Hui Min
Jalelah Abu Baker
SINGAPORE - Of the 115 cases tested positive for Zika virus infection so far, 57 are foreigners who live and work in Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Thursday (Sept 1).
Seven nationalities are affected, including 23 mainland Chinese.
There are 15 Indian nationals, 10 from Bangladesh and six from Malaysia. One individual is affected from Indonesia, Myanmar and Taiwan.
“All had mild illness. Most have recovered while the rest are recovering well,” said MOH.
A Malaysian woman living and working in Aljunied was identified as the first known case of a person being infected locally on Saturday.
The number of people who contracted Zika in Singapore has increased to 115, MOH said on Wednesday night.
A pregnant woman who lives in the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive area is among the cases confirmed on Wednesday.
While the symptoms of Zika - fever, rash, joint or muscle ache, red eyes or a headache - are mild for most people, it can cause birth defects in babies if their mothers are infected during pregnancy.
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Singapore must assume Zika is elsewhere too, aside from Aljunied and Bedok: PM Lee
Posted 01 Sep 2016 19:52
Updated 01 Sep 2016 20:01
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned that Singapore “must assume Zika is elsewhere in (the country)” as well, even as authorities tackle the 115 cases that have been confirmed in Aljunied and Bedok.
In a Facebook post on Thursday (Sep 1), Mr Lee wrote: “The cases so far have been in Aljunied and Bedok, but we must assume that Zika is elsewhere in Singapore too.”
The Prime Minister said: “We have been tracking Zika for a while now, and knew it was only a matter of time before it reached Singapore.”
He added that scientists are still learning about this new disease. “But we know that for most people it is mild, and in fact often causes no symptoms at all. Pregnant women are at risk, as they are with other viral infections like dengue and chicken pox. Do take precautions and get tested if you show symptoms.
“Our best defence is to eradicate mosquitos and destroy breeding habitats, all over Singapore. Do the 5-step Mozzie Wipeout. Let’s all do our part to fight Zika, and dengue as well.”
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