Zika in Singapore: Monitoring to be intensified at Johor entry points

The Health Ministry will intensify monitoring at the two main entry points into Johor Bahru following the case of a Malaysian woman being infected by the Zika virus in Singapore, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said the precautionary measures to be taken included distributing pamphlets on the prevention of Zika infection and placing paramedics at the entry points to examine tourists showing signs of the disease.

He said the Malaysian and Singaporean ministries of Health were in close contact to tackle the situation and get the latest information on the first local infection and coordinate preventive and control measures.

In a statement here Sunday, Noor Hisham said since Malaysia had the same Zika virus vector, the Aedes mosquito, Zika cases could occur here if Malaysians visited Singapore and there is no early prevention.

READ: Singapore confirms 41 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection

Yesterday, Singapore's Health Ministry and its National Environment Agency reported that the Malaysian woman, aged 47, who lived in Block 102, Aljunied Crescent and worked in the republic was believed to have been infected by the Zika virus, becoming the first victim in that country.

The Health Ministry of Singapore has also confirmed that it was a local case as the patient did not have a history of visiting Zika-infected countries.

Commenting further, Noor Hisham said beginning this year, the ministry had intensified monitoring as well as taken preventive and vector control measures at all international entry points for foreign visitors and locals returning from Zika-infected nations.

He said visitors arriving from countries with the virus would be provided a Health Warning Card as a guide for further action to be taken if they suffered from the disease.

He said to date, more than two million visitors from 155 nations reported to have zika infections have been screened at air, sea and land entry points.

So far, no tourists to Malaysia have been found to have suffered the infection.

Noor Hisham added monitoring of the Zika virus was also being done through continuous laboratory surveillance by the National Public Health Laboratory and the Institute of Medical Research where between June 2015 until last Friday, 784 blood samples had been tested from patients displaying signs of Zika virus infection.

However, he added , the results of all these tests were negative.