Channel NewsAsia 1 Feb 08;
SINGAPORE: One more case of chikungunya fever was reported on Friday, bringing the total number of cases in Singapore to 12.
10 patients had been admitted to hospital for isolation and all but one have since been discharged.
The latest case involves a foreign national with no recent travel history. He lives on Norris Street, which is about 200 metres away from Clive Street where the first few cases were detected.
Since 14 January, both the Ministry of Health and the Environmental Health Institute have screened 2,268 people.
The National Environment Agency is continuing its inspections in areas beyond the Clive Street area.
More than 4,400 inspections have been conducted and 73 breeding sites have been detected and destroyed. - CNA/vm
One more struck by Chikungunya virus
Straits Times 2 Feb 08;
ONE more person has been infected with the Chikungunya virus, which appears to be still active in the Little India neighbourhood.
This brings the total number of people stricken to 12, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) yesterday.
The latest victim is a foreigner who lived in Norris Street - 200m away from the centre of the outbreak in Clive Street. He had not travelled overseas recently and spent most of his time in the Little India neighbourhood, where all the other cases have occurred.
The news comes even after intensive search-and-destroy operations were conducted in the Clive Street area to remove mosquito breeding habitats.
To curb the outbreak, more than 4,400 inspections have been carried out by 20 NEA officers and 15 pest control operators - almost three times more than usual.
So far, a total of 73 breedings have been detected and destroyed.
The NEA is continuing its operations in areas beyond the Clive Street area, which are bound by Rochor Road, Race Course Road, Lavender Street and Jalan Besar.
Chikungunya fever is an acute viral disease, similar to dengue fever. Like the dengue virus, it is spread by the Aedes mosquito and causes symptoms such as fever, joint pains, chills and nausea which usually last three to 10 days.
All detected cases were assessed at the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and 10 people were admitted. All but the latest case have since been discharged.
A total of 2,268 people have already been screened by the MOH and NEA since the first case was detected on Jan 14.
Those who have been in the Little India area recently and have developed a fever are advised to consult their doctors.
Those infected by the virus should be isolated from further mosquito bites by staying indoors and sleeping under a mosquito net during the first few days of the illness. This is to reduce the risk of further transmission of the virus.
