Today Online 30 Sep 16;
SINGAPORE — The Bedok North area is now no longer an active Zika cluster, according to an update on the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) Zika website on Friday (Sept 30).
This makes it the second cluster to be closed, after the Bishan Street 12 cluster was closed on Wednesday.
The cluster, which saw a total of five reported Zika cases, comprises areas at Bedok North Avenue 2, Bedok North Avenue 3, Bedok North Street 3.
There are now seven active clusters:
Aljunied Crescent/Sims Drive/Paya Lebar Way/Kallang Way/Circuit Road/Geylang East Central/Geylang East Avenue 1;
Joo Seng Road;
Elite Terrace;
Ubi Crescent;
Jalan Raya/Circuit Road;
Sengkang Central/Sengkang East Avenue
Hougang Ave 7.
Meanwhile, there have been no new locally-transmitted Zika infections here on Friday, with the total number standing at 398.
Separately, Thailand confirmed on Friday that the Zika virus had caused two cases of microcephaly, a condition that results in babies being born with small heads. This is the first time microcephaly had been linked to Zika in South-east Asia.
Zika cluster at Bedok North closed: NEA
Channel NewsAsia 30 Sep 16;
SINGAPORE: The Zika cluster located at Bedok North is now closed, according to data from the National Environment Agency's website on Friday (Sep 30).
The area was identified as a potential cluster on Aug 30 after three Zika cases were reported there.
In all, five cases were reported in Bedok North Ave 2 (Block 514), Bedok North Ave 3 (Blocks 404, 405, 507), as well as Bedok North St 3 (Block 525). No new cases were reported in the last fortnight.
The Zika cluster at Bedok North is the second to be closed, after NEA announced the closure of the Zika cluster at Bishan Street 12 on Wednesday. The cluster was closed on Sep 19 after no new cases were reported there fore two weeks, and the agency said it would continue "close surveillance" in the area until Oct 10.
NEA said the continued surveillance period takes into account the incubation period of the Zika virus and the lifespan of the Aedes mosquito.
Seven Zika clusters - Aljunied Crescent, Joo Seng Road, Elite Terrace, Ubi Ave 1, Balam Road, Sengkang Central and Hougang Ave 7 - remain. Of these, Aljunied Crescent is the only cluster which has reported cases in the past fortnight, according to NEA's website.
NO NEW ZIKA CASES REPORTED ON SEP 30
Data on NEA's website also showed that no new Zika cases were reported on Friday. This is the second day this week - after Sep 26 - that no new locally transmitted Zika cases were reported.
As of Sep 30, a total of 398 locally transmitted Zika cases have been confirmed in Singapore.
- CNA/dl
