S’pore wages war on mosquitoes; suspected Zika cases reach 50

Singapore, Aug 2 (AFP) Singapore clinics today reportedmore Zika infections, bringing the suspected total to 50, asmosquito-fighting teams saturated the scene of the outbreak. Inspectors from the National Environment Agency checkingfor mosquito-breeding sites visited homes in the easternAljunied Crescent district where 41 cases – mostly foreignworkers at a condominium construction project – have beenconfirmed. Nearly all have recovered but nine more suspected casesof Zika virus infection – both citizens and foreign workers -were reported today by two community clinics, local mediasaid. These cases were also in Aljunied. "It’s quite frightening because I thought Zika issomething happening on the other side of the world. But nowit’s right here in my neighbourhood," customer service managerJosephine Kwan, who lives in the affected suburb, told AFP. Zika causes only mild symptoms for most people, such asfever and a rash, and has been detected in 58 countriesparticularly Brazil. But in pregnant women, it can cause microcephaly, adeformation in which babies are born with abnormally smallbrains and heads. Singapore, despite the highest health care standards inSoutheast Asia, is a densely populated tropical island withfrequent rain. Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water thatcollects in construction sites, open space and homes. It is also one of Asia’s cleanest cities but has achronic problem with dengue fever, which is spread by the sameAedes mosquito that carries the Zika virus. Singapore’s first reported case of Zika in May involved aman who had visited Sao Paulo in Brazil earlier in the year. But all of the latest cases involved local transmission. The Straits Times newspaper quoted local doctor Tan ThaiKeng, whose surgery reported four of the latest cases, assaying more women were visiting the clinic as news of theoutbreak spread. They included a pregnant 32-year-old. "She wanted to find out whether she had the virus in herblood or not. So we took her blood here and sent it to the labat Tan Tock Seng," he said, referring to the main nationalhospital for communicable diseases. Neighbouring countries took steps to prevent the spreadof the disease from Singapore. Taiwan today issued a travel advisory for Singapore,urging travellers to watch out for mosquito bites andcautioning pregnant women and those planning to conceive topostpone trips to all areas with Zika cases. Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines have also saidhealth officers will closely monitor arrivals from Singapore,which was visited by 15 million people in 2015. In the city-state inspectors armed with insecticide spraycans today visited high-rise public housing flats to checktoilets and other areas for stagnant water. Owners of homes found with such sites can be fined up to5,000 dollars. (AFP)SAI