The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) stated that they had found another 16 new cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection as of 12 pm on 5 September, bringing the number to 258 cases.
11 out of 16 cases were linked to the Aljunied Crescent/ Sims Drive/ Kallang Way/ Paya Lebar Way cluster. One case is linked to the Joo Seng Road cluster. While the other four cases had no known links to any existing cluster.
Earlier on last Saturday. MOH announced that the National Public Health Laboratory and A*STAR’s Bioinformatics Institute has completed the sequencing analysis of the Zika virus found in two patients from the Aljunied Crescent/ Sims Drive cluster. The analysis found that the virus belongs to the Asian lineage and likely evolved from the strain that was already circulating in Southeast Asia. MOH states that the virus from these two patients was not imported from South America and more details will be released by the research team shortly.
NEA stated that the vector control remains the key to control the disease, systematic and holistic approach through surveillance, prevention and control, outbreak management and outreach to arrest mosquito borne transmission in Singapore. Its objective is to keep mosquito borne disease incidence low through reducing the mosquito population and breaking the disease transmission chain.
It had been continuing with vector control operations and outreach efforts in Aljunied Crescent / Sims Drive / Paya Lebar Way / Kallang Way. It had also expanded operations and outreach efforts at the periphery of this cluster at Circuit Road and Geylang East Way. 63 breeding habitats, comprising 37 in homes and 26 in common areas/other premises, had been detected and destroyed as of 4 September.
NEA is also continuing with vector control operations and outreach efforts in Bedok North Avenue. 52 breeding habitats, comprising 42 in homes and 10 in common areas/other premises, had been detected and destroyedAs of 4 September.
NEA stated that mosquito control measures are ongoing.
Vector control operations and outreach efforts at Joo Seng Road are ongoing. So far, no breeding habitats have been detected, the statement said.
