Tag: Zika

She has fully recovered from Zika but personal trainer Daphne Maia Loo is still worried.

Although many perceive Zika as a mild illness, the 33-year-old, who has two auto-immune conditions, is concerned because very little is known about the full or long-term effects of the disease.

“We don’t know the long-term effects,” she said, noting that Zika has been linked to the Guillain-Barre syndrome and auto-immune complications. “We don’t know what triggers auto-immune conditions, but there’s definitely a worry that one will set off another … I personally get really irritated when people say it’s a mild disease, as we just don’t have enough information on the effects yet.”

Ms Loo added: “Some people say it’s only dangerous for pregnant women, or that the strain here is not as dangerous for pregnant women as that in South America. But how do we know that is the case in the long term? Viruses also mutate, and it could get worse. It is not something we should downplay.”

Ms Loo came down with fever on Sept 2, days after the Ministry of Health confirmed the first locally transmitted Zika cases. The following night, she went to the accident and emergency department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and was taken to the holding area where suspected Zika patients stayed while waiting for their blood test results.

“I was brought in at about 10pm. It was past midnight by the time they took my blood. I waited till about 8am before they confirmed I had Zika,” she recounted. “It was very uncomfortable while (I was) waiting, as I was only given a chair. Beds were limited, and only those who were very sick got them.”

Ms Loo said she was transferred to a ward in the Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC) after she tested positive, and stayed there for two days. She has since made a full recovery.

She has agreed to participate in a research programme on the long-term effects of Zika, carried out by the CDC, where she has to return to the centre for blood tests six times over the next two years.

The good thing arising from the spread of Zika, Ms Loo said, was that it has helped raise awareness of the need to control mosquito breeding grounds, which would help to fight dengue as well.

Madam Ratnawati Mohd Yusoff, whose husband Mohammed Firdaus Lim was among the first 40 individuals in Sims Drive diagnosed with Zika last month, said they take extra precautions now, even though they moved to Upper Serangoon last Saturday.

“Every time after he showers, I will spray the repellent on him and paste one mosquito patch on his clothing, too,” said the 52-year-old. Mr Firdaus, 44, is bedridden after suffering a stroke.

“I make sure I do it on myself, too. I mean if he gets bitten, it would already be difficult. But if I’m bitten, then it will be more difficult. Who will take care of him then when I’m sick?”

She added: “With this new house … the Zika problem becomes less to think about (but) I cannot say that moving away will make me impervious to mosquito bites. I still have to take precautions.”

Source: TODAY Online

When teacher Leonie Besson heard about the Zika outbreak and the risks the virus poses to pregnant women, she decided to take matters into her own hands and open her home to expectant mothers in affected areas.

In a Facebook post last week, she made an open offer for pregnant strangers and their partners to stay in her house for the time being.

“If anyone knows of a pregnant couple in (a) Zika-affected area (who) need somewhere high-rise to stay, walking distance to shops and supermarket … please let me know.” “Free use” of the kitchen and a “room with air-con and bed” will be included.

Speaking to TODAY about the offer, which has yet to be taken up, Mrs Besson said that having a 10-month-old son herself influenced her decision.

“I was just thinking back to this time last year when I was pregnant. Being pregnant is already such a time to worry: Whether you’re eating right, whether your baby has Down Syndrome,” said the 30-year-old.

“I was just imagining what pregnant women feel right now, and I had this idea. We’ve an extra room, and I’ve never been bitten by a mosquito in my house. Someone might need a room somewhere, and we have that extra space.”

So far, the Health Ministry has announced that two pregnant women have been infected with Zika, which carries a low risk of foetuses being born with microcephaly, a condition that results in babies born with abnormally small heads.

Home for Mrs Besson is a five-room flat on the 13th storey in Pasir Ris, occupied by her, her husband and her baby. The room she is offering is furnished with a pull-out bed.

She said her husband, too, felt it was a good idea, and her baby loves new faces. Asked about the risks involved in bringing a stranger home, Mrs Besson said she would meet interested parties and chat with them first.

“I didn’t really consider the risks. We’ve got nothing to steal. We’re very simple people, and we’re just a couple with a young baby … trying to help another couple having a baby. It’s common decency,” she said.

But she also emphasised that this was a temporary solution for those who are extra worried “and their houses don’t have air-con, they can’t close all the windows and they live on a lower floor”.

She hopes more people will offer similar help to pregnant women in need during this period.

Source: TODAY Online

Sebanyak 27 kes baru jangkitan tempatan Zika disahkan di Singapura, menurut pihak berkuasa hari ini (4 Sep).

Ini menjadikan jumlah keseluruhan kes Zika yang disahkan di sini adalah sebanyak 242.

Dalam satu kenyataan bersama, Kementerian Kesihatan (MOH) dan Agensi Sekitaran Kebangsaan (NEA) menyatakan di kalangan kes-kes baru ini, 25 dikaitkan dengan kelompok Aljunied Crescent/Sims Drive/Kallang Way/Paya Lebar Way.

Satu kawasan yang berpotensi menjadi kelompok baru, iaitu di kawasan Joo Seng Road juga dilaporkan, melibatkan salah satu kes baru yang disahkan hari ini dan satu kes yang sudah dilaporkan sebelum ini. Baki satu kes baru yang disahkan hari ini tidak dikaitkan dengan mana-mana kelompok yang sedia ada.

NEA menyatakan ia sedang meneruskan operasi kawalan vektor di kelompok Aljunied Crescent/Sims Drive/Kallang Way/Paya Lebar Way.

Sehingga semalam (3 Sep), 62 tempat pembiakan nyamuk – 36 di rumah-rumah dan 26 di kawasan yang dikongsi penduduk atau premis lain sudah dikesan dan dihapuskan di kawasan itu.

Ia menambah bahawa operasi kawalan vektor dan usaha mendampingi penduduk di kelompok Bedok North Avenue juga diteruskan.

Sehingga semalam, 39 tempat pembiakan nyamuk – 29 di rumah-rumah dan 10 di kawasan yang dikongsi penduduk atau premis lain – juga sudah dikesan dan dihapuskan.

NEA menyatakan ia juga akan menjalankan operasi kawalan vektor di kawasan Joo Seng Road, yang berpotensi menjadi kelompok baru.

Source: Berita MediaCorp