Tag: Zika

Vehicles Must Be Sprayed With Insect Repellent When Exiting Singapore: Health Official

The Johor Health Department will take various measures to curb the spread of Zika infection, including requiring all vehicles leaving and entering Singapore to be sprayed with mosquito repellent.

State Health and Environment Committee chairman Ayub Rahmat said these measures were necessary in view of the sharp increase in Zika infections in the Republic, while Johor was frequented by Singaporeans.

“The vehicles we are referring to include lorries, public buses, school buses, private cars and trains. This is to ensure that no mosquitoes with the virus are brought into the country via the vehicles,” he said in a statement on Friday (Sep 2).

Mr Ayub said the local authorities and district officers had also been instructed to focus on cleanliness in the areas frequented by Singaporeans including open eating places or restaurants, open recreational and entertainment areas, farmers’ markets, wholesale markets and so on.

He said the cleaning works should involve government agencies, non-governmental or semi-government organisations like the Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Department, Rukun Tetangga, Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corp (SWCorp), Rotary Club and volunteers in the Communications for Behavioural Changes (Combi) programme.

Mr Ayub said the state Health Department had been asked to intensify enforcement operations on individual premises and construction sites in all areas near the entry points and housing areas with a high percentage of residents working in Singapore until the Zika epidemic there was under control.

“The state government will monitor all action plans and the special meeting will be held again on Sep 29 to review the effectiveness of these strategies,” he said.

Mr Ayub said the committee viewed the Zika viral infection among Singaporeans as serious as many frequented Johor while 200,000 to 300,000 locals travelled to the Republic each day to work.

He said, based on the number, the people of Johor were vulnerable to the viral infection if drastic steps were not taken to destroy the vector which transmits the Zika virus, the Aedes mosquito.

He said cleaning-up of the surroundings should also be intensified in the coming two to three months so that the Aedes Index could be kept at the lowest level of less than 1 per cent.

Source: ChannelNewsAsia

September 3, 2016
When Does Zika Reach Epidemic Levels In Singapore?
Another 31 new cases of locally-transmitted Zika infections were confirmed as of noon yesterday, including that of a second mother-to-be.

Perhaps more worrying, three cases not linked to any existing clusters have been identified. The three patients live at Tagore Avenue off Upper Thomson Road, Yishun Street 81 and Harvey Crescent near Simei.

As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wrote on Facebook last evening: “We must assume that Zika is elsewhere in Singapore.”

In his post, he reminded everyone to take precautions and get tested if they experience symptoms of the Zika virus.

He said Singapore has been tracking Zika for a while and knew that it was only a matter of time before it reached our shores.

ACTION: NEA started vector control operations and outreach efforts in Bedok North Avenue 3, Punggol Way and Joo Seng yesterday. TNP PHOTO: PHYLLICIA WANG

He said: “Scientists are still learning about this new disease. But we know that for most people, it is mild and often causes no symptoms at all.

“Pregnant women are at risk, as they are with other viral infections like dengue and chicken pox.

“The cases so far have been in Aljunied and Bedok, but we must assume that Zika is elsewhere in Singapore, too.”

PM Lee added that our best defence is to eradicate mosquitoes and destroy their breeding habitats all over Singapore.

“Do the 5-step Mozzie Wipeout. Let’s all do our part to fight Zika, and dengue as well.”

The new cases confirmed yesterday raises the total to 151 since the first case was discovered on Saturday.

Like the first pregnant woman infected with Zika, the second mum-to be is also linked to the original Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive cluster.

“Her doctor is following up closely with her to provide support and counselling,” said a Health Ministry spokesman in a statement last night.

Apart from her and the three cases in new areas, MOH did not detail where the rest of the new cases were.

The existing Zika clusters include the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive cluster, which has now extended to Kallang Way and Paya Lebar Way, and a potential cluster at Bedok North Avenue 3.

Five other cases were detected as a result of MOH’s look-back testing of previous cases, which is now complete.

In light of the rise in infections and the spread to new areas, perhaps it was inevitable this question was raised at the press conference yesterday: Is there a number for Zika to become an epidemic in Singapore?

Dr Derrick Heng, group director for Public Health at MOH, said that because Zika is new to Singapore, we have not had enough experience to calculate the epidemic threshold.

The Zika situation needs to be monitored to determine the calibration for an epidemic, added Professor Leo Yee Sin, director of the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

She said: “At this point in time, we call it an outbreak because we’ve never had it before. We’re seeing so many cases right now and we’re actively dealing with the issues.”

Going by the experience of Colombia, which had 6,000 cases of infection a week at its peak earlier this year, Singapore is some distance away from epidemic levels.

The South American nation declared an end to the epidemic in late July when the number of new infections dropped to 600 a week.

Singapore authorities said that as of Wednesday, two rounds of thermal fogging had been completed at the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive cluster, including the cluster in Paya Lebar Way and Kallang Way.

All drains have been flushed and another round of fogging will be conducted this week. A total of 49 breeding habitats – 26 in homes and 23 in common areas or other premises – have been detected and destroyed.

Indoor spraying, misting and oiling have also been conducted and daily misting of common areas is ongoing.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) started vector control operations and outreach efforts in Bedok North Avenue 3, Punggol Way and Joo Seng yesterday.

As of Tuesday, NEA has served notices on more than 500 inaccessible premises in the Aljunied Crescent/Sims Drive cluster to require the owners to contact NEA to arrange for an inspection, failing which NEA will proceed with forced entry.

The cases so far have been in Aljunied and Bedok, but we must assume that Zika is elsewhere in Singapore, too. Do the 5-step Mozzie Wipeout. Let’s all do our part to fight Zika, and dengue as well.

– PM Lee Hsien Loong, in a Facebook post last night
TACKLING ZIKA

Vector control efforts by the Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force

National Environment Agency: Worked with the members of the Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force to step up vector control operations within the Zika clusters.

Town councils: Stepped up their cleaning and larviciding of potential breeding habitats.

Ministry of Education: Geylang Methodist primary and secondary schools activated their pest control operators and conducted fogging.

Land Transport Authority: Stepped up vector control measures at all work sites and flushed the drains along the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway.

Public Utilities Board: Conducted checking and sealing of chambers.

National Parks Board: Cleared palm fronds and checking of tree holes at green verges.

Housing Development Board, Singapore Contractors Association, Singapore Pest Management Association and Jurong Town Corporation: Sent advisories to all their contractors and members to step up vector control and preventive measures.

SPREAD OF ZIKA IN THE REGION

SINGAPORE

Of the 115 cases tested positive for Zika virus infection on Wednesday, 57 are foreigners who live and work here, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said yesterday.

Seven nationalities are affected, including 23 China nationals, 15 Indian nationals, 10 Bangladeshis, six Malaysians, an Indonesian, a Myanmar national and a Taiwanese.

“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 on Wednesday, MOH said.

A pregnant woman and her husband, who live in the Aljunied Crescent/Sims Drive area, were among the cases confirmed.

– The Straits Times.

MALAYSIA

Malaysia recorded its first case of Zika infection on Wednesday after a 58-year-old woman in Klang was suspected to have been infected by her daughter in Singapore.

She and her husband had visited their daughter on Aug 19 and returned on Aug 21. The daughter was confirmed as being infected on Aug 30.

The Health Ministry said the woman started exhibiting symptoms on Aug 28 and sought medical attention at a private clinic in Klang on Aug 30.

Full confirmation via blood tests is pending. – The Star.

INDONESIA

An Indonesian woman has been infected with the Zika virus in Singapore, in the first case of the disease affecting an Indonesian, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry confirmed yesterday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said the patient had tested positive for Zika.

The woman, whose name and age were not disclosed by officials, is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Singapore.

– Jakarta Post.
Source: www.tnp.sg
September 2, 2016
MOH: 50% Of Zika Cases Involve Foreign Nationals

Half of the Zika cases in Singapore are foreigners who live or work here, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday (Sept 1).

Out of 115 cases, 57 are foreigners. The largest group is 23 people from China, followed by 15 from India and 10 from Bangladesh. Six cases are Malaysians, and one case each from Indonesia, Myanmar and Taiwan.

“All had mild illness. Most have recovered while the rest are recovering well,” said the MOH spokesperson.

Earlier on Sunday (Aug 28), the MOH said that 36 foreign workers at a construction site at 60 Sims Drive had been infected.

The ministry announced Singapore’s first case of locally-transmitted Zika on Saturday, involving a 47-year-old Malaysian woman who lived in Block 102 Aljunied Crescent.

Meanwhile, Malaysia reported its first Zika case on Thursday, involving a 58-year-old woman who visited her daughter in Singapore on Aug 19. Her daughter, a resident in Paya Lebar which has seen Zika cases, was confirmed as being infected with the mosquito-borne virus on Aug 30.

In Singapore, efforts to contain Zika’s spread continued on Thursday morning with thermal fogging operations observed in the areas surrounding Aljunied Crescent and Bedok North Ave 3, which has emerged as a potential cluster after three confirmed cases were reported. Health and environment officers were also spotted lifting drain covers to check for any breeding sites.

Residents in Bedok who spoke to TODAY on Thursday were largely unruffled by the latest development.

“Life still goes on… It’s just a pity that the virus has hit our island and spread like wildfire,” said Mr Stephen Gomez, 61, a resident at Blk 402 Bedok North Ave 3.

Housewife Madam Zhao Hai Ying, 27, said she would take more precautions by checking if her two young children had any mosquito bites. “But you can’t be so (fixated) on this, we just have to be a little more careful,” she added.

Office manager Sally Lim, 43, said that Zika was not “as serious” as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), and that there was “nothing to be worried about”.

However, she noted that some of her relatives who had originally intended to visit her this weekend at her home in Bedok had decided to cancel the visit.

Source: www.todayonline.com

September 2, 2016
Pregnant Women With Zika Symptoms Should Get Themselves Tested

The Zika Clinical Advisory Group, comprising experts in obstetrics, paediatrics, infectious diseases and laboratory capabilities, was unanimous about offering free testing to pregnant women islandwide with Zika symptoms, as they fear the disease could have spread beyond the current outbreak area.

Professor Arijit Biswas, who chairs the nine-member group set up in February, said the biggest concern for Zika is its effect on pregnancy.

“We might miss some (cases),” he said, if tests were restricted to only those in the outbreak area in Singapore’s central-eastern district including Aljunied, Sims Drive and Kallang Way.

“So we decided to make the net wider.”

But these women should have at least three Zika symptoms within the past two weeks:

– a fever even if it is as low as 37 deg C for only one day,

– Rash that is usually red, flat and itchy and in more than one part of the body. Women in the second half of their pregnancy often have rash caused by pregnancy hormones, so that alone is not enough.

– any one of the following: joint or muscle ache, red eyes or headache.

They would need a referral from their doctor who would assess their condition and arrange for them to be tested. They could also go directly to a hospital emergency department.

But Prof Biswas, who is a senior consultant at the National University Hospital (NUH), said women without such recent symptoms should not go for the tests, which would not show if they had been infected some weeks earlier.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

September 2, 2016
Zika Beware, WP Launches Operation Kaki Bukit!

Operation Kaki Bukit. 1 Sep 2016, 1930hrs.

More than 40 volunteers in six teams led by MPs Sylvia Lim, Png Eng Huat, Faisal Manap, Low Thia Khiang, Chen Show Mao and NCMP Daniel Goh knocked on doors to check on residents in 14 blocks of flats in the affected cluster in Bedok North Ave 3 and St 3. Too bad Pritam Singh, Dennis Tan and Leon Perera were overseas on work trips.

We advised residents about the symptoms and spread of the virus and collected information on vulnerable persons. We handed out flyers to inform everyone that Town Council would be conducting urgent floor-to-floor fogging of the common corridor and general area on Friday.

We gave out NEA brochures on Dengue and Zika and the 5-step Mozzie Wipeout. We didn’t have enough NEA brochures, so we made our own version to give out if we run out of the NEA version.

We could sense a strong collective spirit and appreciation of the combined efforts by government agencies, town councils, MPs, volunteers and grassroots. We will continue with the control measures and outreach efforts to fight Zika.

Source: Aljunied GRC

September 2, 2016