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Australia, Taiwan, South Korea issue travel warnings for Singapore after Zika outbreak

SINGAPORE — Australia, Taiwan and South Korea have advised pregnant women and those attempting to get pregnant to avoid travel to Singapore after 56 locally transmitted Zika virus infection cases. Those returning from Singapore should avoid pregnancy for two months.

Pest control workers fogging around the Sims Drive area, Aug 29, 2016. Photo: Nuria Ling

Pest control workers fogging around the Sims Drive area, Aug 29, 2016. Photo: Nuria Ling

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SINGAPORE — Australia, Taiwan and South Korea have advised pregnant women and those attempting to get pregnant to avoid travel to Singapore after 56 locally transmitted Zika virus infection cases. Those returning from Singapore should avoid pregnancy for two months.

South Korean travellers will receive text messages with the warning when they arrive in Singapore, while the Australian government has urged pregnant women to avoid non-essential travel to Singapore and to adopt additional measures against mosquito bites if planning a trip here.

“This included deferring non-essential travel if pregnant and avoiding pregnancy for two months following a return. Australians should exercise normal safety precautions in Singapore,” the Australian government said in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC) raised the travel notice for Singapore to Level 2 and advised pregnant women not to travel to the country.

“Pregnant women and women intending to become pregnant are advised to take particular caution and travellers to the country must take precautionary measures against mosquitoes,” the statement said.

Under the CDC’s three-tier system, a Level 1 travel warning urges vigilance and health precautions, while Level 2 calls for a high degree of caution and strong protective measures, and Level 3 advises against travel to or from a specified destination.

The CDC now has a Level 2 travel alert in place for 58 countries and regions where Zika virus infections have been reported, including Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia, countries with a heavy flow of people to and from Taiwan.

The United Kingdom has also advised those who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant to discuss their travel plans to Singapore with their healthcare provider.

Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore's closest neighbours, have stepped up protective measures following the outbreak, introducing thermal scanners at airports and border checkpoints.

Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) announced over the weekend 41 locally transmitted Zika cases and 15 more cases were confirmed on Monday. The first case, which came to light on Saturday, involved a Malaysian woman living at Block 102 Aljunied Crescent. The other 40 cases, announced on Sunday, either lived or worked in the Aljunied Crescent-Sims Drive area.

 

Singapore's Tourism Board said it was monitoring developments, adding the city state remained a "safe travel destination", and it was premature to consider any impact.

More than 55 million people pass through Singapore's Changi airport every year. In the first half of this year, tourism arrivals reached almost 8.2 million, compared with around 7.3 million in the same period of last year.

Online retailer Lazada Singapore said on Tuesday it has seen sales of mosquito repellent and other deterrent products rise fivefold over the past three days compared to a week ago.

The Zika virus was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. It poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked in Brazil to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect where babies are born with abnormally small heads and brains. WITH REUTERS

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