Singapore reports 41 cases of virus that deforms babies
Print Edition
SINGAPORE yesterday confirmed 41 locally transmitted cases of the Zika virus, which can cause deformities in unborn babies, and said more infections are likely.
A day after announcing its first locally transmitted case, that of a 47-year-old Malaysian woman resident, the government reported 40 more — mostly foreign workers at a construction site.
All 41 are residents or workers in a particular suburban residential and industrial district, the Ministry of Health and the National Environment Agency said in a joint statement.
“They are not known to have travelled to Zika-affected areas recently, and are thus likely to have been infected in Singapore,” the statement said. “This confirms that local transmission of Zika virus infection has taken place.”
It said that at this point the community transmission of the virus appears to be localized within the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive area, which hosts high-rise residential blocs and some industries.
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.
The ministry said it has alerted clinics and hospitals to be “extra vigilant” and report patients with symptoms associated with the virus, mainly fever and rash.
Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said more imported cases are likely because Singapore is an international travel hub.
Because many Zika carriers display only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all — meaning infected people may not seek treatment — local transmission of these imported cases “is also very high,” he said.
The current infections came to light after a local clinic reported an unusual rise in viral fever on August 22.
This prompted a check by health ministry experts, who told doctors to refer new cases to the government-run Communicable Diseases Center.
The National Environment Agency has deployed more than 200 officers to inspect and destroy possible mosquito breeding sites in the area.
According to the statement, 36 of the 41 cases involve foreign laborers working at a construction site in the area.
Work was halted at the site on Saturday after an inspection by environment agency officers discovered that housekeeping was “unsatisfactory with potential breeding habitats favorable to mosquito breeding,” the statement added.
Twelve on-site workers’ quarters and two other dormitories elsewhere were also inspected and one breeding site was detected and destroyed.
The statement said 34 of those affected had fully recovered while the other seven, who are still symptomatic and potentially infectious, remain in hospital.
In May, Singapore reported its first imported Zika case, a 48-year-old male Singapore resident who travelled to Brazil earlier in the year.
Zika causes mild symptoms for most people, such as fever and a rash. But in pregnant women it can cause microcephaly, a deformation in which babies are born with abnormally small brains and heads.
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