DOH on alert as Zika cases rise in Singapore

The Department of Health (DOH) is now on alert as the number of Zika infection cases rise in the nearby country of Singapore. Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial said the health department is now monitoring the country’s port of entry to make sure that the virus will not get into our shores. “We are still doing the surveillance and quarantine check at the airports and seaports as points of entry,” said Ubial. Yesterday morning, Singapore has confirmed 41 cases of locally-transmitted Zika virus. Reports disclosed that a joint statement from the health ministry and the National Environment Agency said it is expecting more cases to be identified within the country. Zika virus infection, a vector-borne disease which is caused by a flavivirus, is transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito from the Aedes genus, mainly Aedes aegypti; the same mosquito that carries dengue which is rampant in [...]