Of the 115 cases tested positive for Zika virus infection so far, 57 are foreigners who live and work in Singapore, it’s Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Thursday. India’s foreign ministry confirmed on Thursday that 13 of its nationals had tested positive for the Zika virus in Singapore, after an outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease that at first affected three dozen workers on a construction site.
Out of 57 foreigners, 10 are from Bangladesh and six are from Malaysia. One individual is affected from Indonesia, Myanmar and Taiwan.
“According to our mission in Singapore 13 Indian nationals have tested positive for Zika in Singapore,” Vikas Swarup, spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs, said.
US health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.
Meanwhile, Singapore has confirmed its first case of a pregnant woman testing positive for the Zika virus infection, as the number of cases of the mosquito-borne virus in the city-state rose to 115.
The Ministry of Health and National Environment Agency said the pregnant woman was living in the virus-hit housing and industrial area of Sims Drive/Aljunied Crescent in the southeast of the island.
The woman, who displayed mild symptoms of the virus, was taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital on Wednesday. A member of her household was also diagnosed as positive for Zika.
Her doctor is following up closely with her to monitor her health as well as the development of the baby, authorities said.
While the symptoms of Zika – fever, rash, joint or muscle ache, red eyes or a headache are mild for most people, it can cause birth defects in babies if their mothers are infected during pregnancy.
One of the control measures is the roll-out of gravitraps, which trap female mosquitoes, 30,000 have been rolled out since the start of the year and another 20,000 are being set up.
NEA is also assessing high-risk areas based on data from the gravitraps, but did not specify where these areas are.
