KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

zbear wrote:Does this mean that Zika mosquitoes are now bred in SG n not imported?

This is frightening.

MrsKiasu wrote:
the mozzie got infected after biting a person with Zika virus (back from overseas) then spread it to someone else (with no recent travel history)..and other mozzie bite latter then spread and so on=local?
.

Q) The first case was announced on Saturday, and it jumped to 41 cases. Could the MOH have announced all these cases earlier?

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong: Part of the reason that we have discovered more cases is because we have now gone back to the cases that were seen before by doctors. They were not suspected to have Zika, because they have no travel history and so on. Now that we know there is a case ...we’ve therefore gone back to all these cases that were surfaced before, and checked their blood tests, and that’s why we have discovered more cases, as a result of the first case. So out of the 41 cases, I think some 36 cases were a result of this active testing of the patients who were in the areas of concern, whom we felt there was the potential they would be infected by Zika. Then we went back to relook at their test results. Some were even retested to determine whether they were infected by Zika.

Q) Why did it take two days before the MOH announced patient A’s case?

Mr Gan: Some required double confirmation. So first we tested them on the urine test...various steps of testing.

Q) So it’s not like you knew about it earlier, but was keeping quiet about it?

Mr Gan: No, of course not.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS

Aug 22: A clinic in the Aljunied area, Sims Drive Medical Clinic, informed MOH of an unusual increase in cases with fever, rash and joint pains. Cases were mild.
Aug 23: MOH visited the clinic and discussed the cases with the GP. The initial hypothesis was a cluster of mild viral illness transmitted from person to person. MOH then made arrangements for the clinic to refer new cases to the CDC for further testing and to start tracing past cases for review, and testing if appropriate. The ministry also communicated with nearby clinics and construction sites to increase vigilance and report cases to them.
Aug 25: MOH approached the contractor of a nearby construction site for records of workers with fever. At the same time, a 47-year-old Malaysian woman, who is the first reported locally transmitted case, developed fever, rash, and conjunctivitis.
Aug 26: The woman, the only female among all 41 cases to date, visited the same GP and was referred to the CDC.
Aug 27: The woman was confirmed by the CDC to have the Zika virus infection. She was warded. As she was assessed to have been infected in Singapore, NEA was notified and they commenced vector control (anti-mosquito breeding) operations. Members of the woman's household were screened. Tests were conducted on 123 people who were recently or currently symptomatic. This includes 118 construction workers of the nearby construction site.
Aug 28: MOH and NEA hold a press briefing during which it is announced that 41 locally transmitted Zika cases have been identified, with 34 patients making a full recovery. The remaining seven are recovering in hospital. The authorities say more cases are likely.