SINGAPORE, Sept 1 — About 40 per cent of the 115 confirmed Zika cases here involve foreigners, with Chinese nationals making up the largest group so far.
Media reports to date, citing information from embassies and consular offices here, point to 13 Indians, 21 Chinese, six Bangladeshis and five Malaysian nationals among those infected by the virus. It is unclear if there are more suspected cases involving citizens from these four countries, or if Zika patients of other nationalities are among the list of 115 cases.
The Republic’s Ministry of Health (MOH) has not released an official breakdown of the nationalities of the Zika patients here, though it disclosed on Sunday (Aug 28) 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.
Citing a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry, Reuters reported today that 21 Chinese nationals in Singapore have been infected with Zika. Their health situation was reportedly “not serious” and some of them had recovered, Reuters added, citing the Chinese foreign ministry.
The six Bangladeshi Zika patients were similarly reported to have recovered or are recovering from “mild symptoms”, Reuters quoted the High Commissioner of Bangladesh Mahbub Uz Zaman as saying.
Mahbub told the news agency in an email today: “We have been informed yesterday by MOH (the Ministry of Health) that of those tested positive, as of 12 noon on August 30, 6 are Bangladeshi nationals.”
The High Commission of India in Singapore said yesterday that 13 of its citizens are among those infected with Zika. It did not give further details.
Malaysia reported its first Zika case today, 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 this 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 today 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. — TODAY
