Despite Zika, daily life goes on: Mum-to-be

After news broke of a Zika outbreak in the Aljunied-Sims Drive area, Madam Sulaiha Ngatiman was deluged with anxious calls from her mother-in-law and neighbours, advising her to take precautions and stay indoors as much as possible.

The family stocked up on mosquito repellent products over the weekend, and are making greater effort to ensure that her two-room flat is mosquito-free, such as by shutting the windows and clearing out any stagnant water. She has also asked her three-year-old son, who lives with her aunt, and a stepdaughter, who lives with her mother, to refrain from visiting her for now. Her three older sons are aged 10, nine, and seven.

“I feel okay, our daily lives still go on as per normal ... My family members are probably more concerned than I am,” said Mdm Sulaiha, who was speaking to reporters in her home on Aljunied Crescent yesterday, after a visit from her Member of Parliament Tin Pei Ling.

Grassroot volunteers have been calling on her three times a day, she added, while her godsister Mdm Suriyati Karsan, who lives four units away, has also visited her, armed with sprays and other repellent products.

“I don’t want anything to happen to her baby,” said Mdm Suriyati, 34, who had read about Zika infections during pregnancy possibly causing babies to be born with microcephaly.

Said Mdm Sulaiha: “Of course, these are what I am most fearful of, all mothers will want their children to be born healthy.” KELLY NG