41 kes Zika Singapura

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Authorities Sunday said they have identified 41 cases of Zika virus infection that were transmitted locally, and warned that they expect to find more.

Among the infected were 36 foreign construction workers at a site near Aljunied, an area in the southeast of the island, the health ministry said. The day before, authorities said they had confirmed Singapore’s first case of the Zika virus being transmitted locally. The patient was a 47-year-old Malaysian woman who lived in Aljunied, a mixed commercial and residential zone, and is now in hospital under observation. She devel-SINGAPORE—Singapore oped a fever, rash and conjunctivitis from Aug. 25.

The health ministry said none of those infected, which included another four Singaporeans from the same neighborhood, had recently traveled abroad to areas affected by the Zika virus. The ministry said it concluded that they were likely

to have been infected in Singapore, and that it “cannot rule out further community transmission in Singapore, since some of those who tested positive also live or work in other parts of Singapore.”

Of the 41 people found to have been infected, 34 have fully recovered while the others, including the local residents, are still recovering in hospital. Among them are a 65-year-old retiree and his 21-year-old son. Seven of the 36 foreign workers are confined to the Communicable Diseases Center at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Since its detection in Brazil last year, the mosquito-borne Zika virus—first isolated in Africa in the 1940s—has made inroads across the Americas, including parts of the U.S. On Thursday, China said it added the U.S. to a list of Zika-infected countries. That worries U.S. exporters, who fear they will be required to fumigate containers destined for Chinese ports.

The virus has been detected in several Asian countries, including Bangladesh, Malaysia and the Philippines, according to the World Health Organization. The virus, which can be transmitted sexually and through blood, increases the risk of birth defects among children born to infected mothers, including microcephaly, a rare condition where the head is significantly smaller than usual and which is associated with incomplete brain development.

The Singapore cases appear to be the largest beachhead the Zika virus has made in Asia in the current epidemic. The tropical island state is prone to other mosquito-borne diseases, notably dengue fever, which, like the Zika virus, is spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Health authorities said earlier this year that Singapore could experience a record 30,000 dengue cases this year.

Singapore’s National Environment Agency has deployed more than 200 people to the affected area, where they sprayed insecticide and cleaned drains. The health ministry said those personnel had inspected more than 1,800 premises of an estimated 6,000 and that operations will continue. The NEA issued an order to suspend work where the infected construction workers were employed.

The ministry urged residents to cooperate with the NEA and warned that it would enter buildings by force if necessary to destroy habitats where mosquitoes can breed. Officials advised those living or working in the affected areas, especially pregnant women, to monitor their health.