Zika: No travel ban to Singapore, Philippines - Health Ministry

The Health Ministry does not propose to issue a travel ban to Singapore and the Philippines in the wake of Zika outbreaks in the two countries.

Its Minister Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam said a travel ban would be a drastic action which could create social issues as many Malaysians are working in Singapore.

"More than 200,000 Malaysians are plying to and from Singapore daily for work and it is their rice bowl," he told reporters after opening a student workshop on entrepreneurship, leadership and patriotism here, Saturday.

Earlier, Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid had told a media conference in Kota Tinggi, Johor today that the ministry had directed all schools throughout the country not hold student visits to Singapore and the Philippines for the time being to prevent the spread of the Zika virus.

Dr Subramaniam said even though there was no travel ban issued, Malaysians wishing to visit the two countries were advised to be cautious especially when experiencing infection symptoms such as fever.

He said the people should be proactive in preventing the Zika virus from spreading by ensuring that their surroundings did not become Aedes mosquito breeding grounds and not after something bad had happened.

"The people's knowledge on the matter is high but it is not translated into a living culture," he said.

"It is my hope with heightened awareness of the disease, the community needs to eradicate all Aedes mosquito breeding sites to reduce the spread of Zika virus," he said.

As at yesterday, there were four Zika cases confirmed in the country, with the latest case detected on Sept 7 in Johor Bahru. -- Bernama