Zika cases in Singapore surge to 242 as new cluster is identified
The number of Zika virus cases has jumped to 242 in Singapore along with fears there is a potential new cluster of infections in two other areas. Furthermore, new analysis from the National Public Health Laboratory and the Bioinformatics Institute show the Zika virus in Singapore is not imported from South America, as was originally suggested, but is likely to have evolved from a strain already circulating in Southeast Asia. There is currently no treatment or vaccine to prevent Zika infection.

The number of locally-transmitted Zika virus cases in Singapore jumped to 242 over the weekend, with most cases linked to the existing cluster in the city-state's east, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said. Singapore added 91 new Zika cases since Friday, of which 83 cases were connected to the Aljunied Crescent, Sims Drive, Kallang Way and Paya Lebar Way areas.

A pest control worker fumigates the grounds of a apartment block in Aljunied on September 3, 2016 in Singapore. Ulet Ifansasti | Getty Images

There might also be a potential new cluster of infections in the Joo Seng Road area, where two cases have been confirmed, the government agencies said. Another cluster of infections had also been confirmed in the Bedok North Avenue Three area, according to a Saturday statement. Control of the Aedes mosquito population remained the primary solution to stem the spread of Zika, according to a joint MOH-NEA statement released on Sunday. The National Public Health Laboratory and A*Star's Bioinformatics Institute released research at the weekend that showed Singapore's Zika infections were likely from an Asian strain of the virus that was already circulating in Southeast Asia, and not from a strain imported from South America. Several countries, including the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, have issued travel advisories warning pregnant women to avoid nonessential travel to the Asian city-state.



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