Zika concerns could test Singapore's efforts to boost birth rate: Expert

Channel NewsAsia 7 Sep 16;

SINGAPORE: Singaporean pre-school teacher Siti is determined to try for a baby even as Zika infections spread across the Southeast Asian nation. She just does all she can to avoid mosquito bites.

"I really love kids and want to have one of my own," the 37-year-old who declined to give her full name said after a procedure at the fertility clinic of KK Women's and Children's Hospital, the largest facility for women's health in Singapore. "I'm not postponing my pregnancy plans but I'm taking all precautions I can."

The mosquito-borne virus has been linked to a spike in microcephaly, a rare birth defect, in Brazil, which has so far been the hardest hit by an outbreak affecting large parts of Latin America. Babies born with the defect have undersized heads and brains. In adults, the virus - which can also be sexually transmitted - has been linked to a rare neurological syndrome called Guillain-Barre.

Economists say concerns about the birth defect could dent the Singapore Government's efforts to boost the number of babies born to its citizens. The city-state, a major financial hub, has one of the world's lowest birth rates and a rapidly aging society, while more than a third of its 5.5 million population are foreigners.

"It could lead to some delay in people who are going to get pregnant or thinking of getting pregnant," said Michael Wan, an economist at Credit Suisse. "But it's a bit too early to tell."

The low birth rate, and a drive to wean the economy off foreign labor, prompted the government last year to start giving out as much as S$10,000 in cash to Singaporeans who have a baby.

Singapore health authorities have urged pregnant women or those trying to conceive to avoid mosquito bites and take precautions since the first case of locally transmitted Zika was detected on Aug 27. Since then, more than 280 people have become infected, of which two were pregnant.

In their guidelines, they highlight the risks for pregnant women that are associated with Zika. They do not urge women who are otherwise healthy, and whose partners also show no symptoms of infection, to postpone pregnancy.

"Use insect repellent. Practice safe sex for the duration of your pregnancy if your partner has been exposed to Zika," reads the advice for pregnant women on the Singapore Government's main online portal. "Note that a positive Zika test may not mean your unborn child is infected or harmed."

SOME EXPATS CONSIDER RELOCATING

Citing a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Singapore's Government portal says Zika infected women have a 1 to 13 percent chance of giving birth to a child with microcephaly.

There is currently no vaccine for Zika, and Singapore has said the virus is likely to be in the country to stay, given the prevalence of the Aedes mosquitoes that carry it in this small, tropical island. Singapore has been battling dengue, another mosquito-borne virus, for decades.

The World Health Organization, which has praised Singapore's handling of the Zika outbreak, recommends people considering pregnancy get counseled about the risks in Zika-affected areas, and are told that their options include delaying pregnancy.

In Singapore, some women are not taking any chances. "Some patients, particularly expatriates, are calling to ask if they should relocate back to their own home country," said obstetrician Kelly Loi of the Health and Fertility Centre for Women.

But Aude Vazart, a French engineer who gave birth in Singapore last week, told Reuters leaving the island to avoid Zika was "too extreme". "There are thousands of diseases I could get, even in France," the 29-year-old said.

- Reuters


Singapore Zika cases hit 283; potential new cluster Elite Terrace
Channel NewsAsia 7 Sep 16;

SINGAPORE: Eight new cases of locally transmitted Zika were confirmed on Wednesday (Sep 7), bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Singapore to 283. Authorities added that there is a potential new cluster in the Elite Terrace area at Siglap, involving a previously reported case and a new case today.

In a joint statement, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) added that, of the eight new cases, two are linked to the Aljunied Crescent / Sims Drive / Kallang Way / Paya Lebar Way cluster, and one is linked to the Bishan Street 12 cluster. The other four cases have no known links to any existing cluster.

NEA said that it will continue with vector control operations in the cluster areas at Aljunied Crescent/ Sims Drive/ Paya Lebar Way/ Kallang Way/ Circuit Road/ Geylang East Central/ Geylang East Avenue 1, as well as cluster areas at Bedok North Avenue, Joo Seng Road, and Bishan Street 12. It will also be carrying out vector control operations and outreach efforts at the potential new cluster at Elite Terrace.

It added that as of September 6, a total of 150 breeding habitats have been found and destroyed in the cluster areas, of which 99 are from homes, and 51 from outdoor areas.

From Sep 7, members of the public can get details on current clusters at NEA's website.

- CNA/nc

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Malaysia: Johor government to amend water blueprint

The Star 8 Sep 16;

MUAR: The Johor government will make some changes to the existing Sungai Skudai Water Blueprint 2014-2015 to improve the conservation works on the river.

State Health and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said the blueprint was now being fine-tuned as the government realised that there were some areas that needed improvements in order to ensure the success of the project.

“We are looking for the right methods to make improvements on the existing blueprint and to overcome the problems where our water sources at several rivers cannot be utilised to solve the water crisis in Johor,” he said after officiating the Sultanah Fatimah Specialist Hospital (SFSH) Emergency and Trauma Department Triage building here recently.

Also present were SFSH director Dr Salehudden Abd Aziz and SFSH Emergency and Trauma Department chief Dr Norhaya Abdullah.

Ayub added that the responsibility of maintaining the cleanliness of rivers should not only be borne by the state government but instead should be shared between the state government and the surrounding communities. – Bernama

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Malaysia key conduit in global illegal ivory trade

TRAFFIC 8 Sep 16;

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 8th September 2016—A new TRAFFIC analysis points to Malaysia as the world's paramount ivory transit country, with its ports serving as a major gateway for the flow of tonnes of illicit ivory between Africa and Asia.

Ivory seizure records from January 2003 to May 2014 linked Malaysia to 66 confiscations worldwide totalling a massive 63 419 kg. Only 19 of the seizures were made in Malaysia. The remaining 47 occurred outside the country, mostly after shipments had passed undetected through Malaysia’s ports.

"The sheer volume of ivory flowing through Malaysia's ports has flagged it as a country of concern at the global level. Getting tough on the traffickers involved in smuggling ivory into Asia should be a top priority for national enforcement agencies,” said Kanitha Krishnasamy, author and Senior Programme Manager for TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia.

The vast majority of the 63 tonnes came from just 26 large-scale seizures. Large shipments and seizures, over 500 kg in weight, point to the potential involvement of organized criminal networks.

The report, Malaysia’s invisible ivory channel: An assessment of ivory seizures involving Malaysia from January 2003-May 2014 (PDF, 3 MB) shows that the Malaysia-linked seizures involved the import, export and re-export of ivory from at least 23 countries and territories around the world.

Particularly, it documents Malaysia’s progression over the years to the current unenviable position as the principal transit point for ivory sourced in Africa and redirected to Asia, especially Viet Nam, Hong Kong and China.

More than 30% of all seizures originated from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda—the three major exit points in Africa for the world’s illegal elephant ivory trade. Seizures also linked Malaysia to Kenya and Uganda in the trafficking of 23 rhino horns between August 2010 and December 2013.

Malaysia has been implicated in further seizures beyond the study period involving at least five tonnes seized in Australia, Kenya, Thailand and Viet Nam after passing through the country. In July 2016, Malaysian authorities seized more than a tonne of ivory originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Just last week, 12 suspects were arrested in connection with the smuggling of 114 pieces of cut ivory and other wildlife parts, that were seized from premises in Malaysia.

While commending this recent seizure, TRAFFIC urges Malaysia to intensify its collaboration and communication with ivory source and consumer countries and recommends authorities enhance their risk indicator and profiling techniques to detect high-risk shipments.

Malaysia is one the eight countries of ‘primary concern’ that had been identified by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as being most heavily implicated in the illegal trade in ivory, requiring Malaysia effectively to implement a National ivory Action Plan (NIAP) to address the situation.

“With no open ivory markets, Malaysia’s role is purely one of transit. It can extricate itself from this situation if its National Ivory Action Plan focuses efforts on tracking and dismantling the criminal networks using Malaysia as a transit point,’’ said Krishnasamy.

Efforts by all countries subjected to the NIAP process to tackle this problem, including Malaysia, will come under scrutiny at the 17th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES which takes place from 24th September-5th October 2016 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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Malaysia: Perhilitan catches two wild elephants in Jeli

BERNAMA New Straits Times 7 Sep 16;

JELI: The Kelantan Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) managed to catch two out of the six wild elephants that were destroying crops in Kampung Lawar here on Aug 31.

Its director Mohamad Khairi Ahmad said the two female elephants, aged 15 and 30 years and weighing between one to two tons were caught by using the immunisation shots.

“On Aug 31, we have received complaints from villagers claiming to have run into a herd of elephants while picking durians in the garden.

“Kelantan Perhilitan subsequently sent eight personnel to the village to monitor and catch the elephants on the day the incident was reported,” he said when contacted here today.

He said the department would continue to monitor and track the remaining four elephants believed to be still roaming in the village area.

Mohamad Khairi said the two captured elephants were still placed in Kampung Lawar while awaiting permission to transfer these mammals to the Kuala Gandah National Elephants Conservation Centre in Pahang.

Meanwhile villager Abdul Mutalib Abdul Rahman, 69, said he reported the matter to Perhilitan out of fear for his safety after he came aross the herd of elephants in his garden.

“I heard a sound like an explosion about 300 metres from where I stood in the garden and was surprised to see a herd of elephants breaking bamboo groves,” he said. --Bernama

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Indonesia: RAPP accused of peatland conversion

Rizal Harahap The Jakarta Post 7 Sep 16;

A government team from the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) that recently made an impromptu visit to check on alleged peatland conversion by PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) was denied entry to the site by security guards.

BRG head Nazir Foead, accompanied by BRG official Haris Gunawan, forest rangers, Forestry and Environment Ministry officials and villagers, said RAPP guards at the plantation in Meranti Islands regency asked to see a permit letter.

“It was an impromptu visit. Of course we did not carry any letter,” he said on Tuesday. “I just wanted to check and talk,” he said.

One of the forest rangers asked a security guard to call his superior, but he later told them the boss could not be reached by phone.

“They did not throw us out, there was no physical altercation, but they hampered us all the same. The company was not cooperating, and I suspect something fishy. We could not take pictures, could not check the coordinates,” Nazir said.

Locals said the company had converted about 50 hectares of peatland to plant acacia in the past two months.

Nazir said his office had summoned RAPP and they had met in Jakarta on Aug. 2, with RAPP saying all its activities were legal.

In a written statement, RAPP said it regretted the “lack of coordination among our security guards” that hampered the BRG visit on Sept. 5.

“We will discuss the results of field verification with the BRG this week,” the company stated on Tuesday. (evi)


Plantation neighbors in constantly recurring fear of peatland fires
Rizal Harahap The Jakarta Post 7 Sep 16;

Yadi, 60, of Sidodadi, Bengkalis regency, Riau, has for the last three years been gripped with worry because every time the dry season starts the vast peatland near his place always catches on fire.

For the last three days, for instance, dozens of hectares of peatland in his village have caught fire, thanks to a reckless oil palm plantation worker who cleared the land by burning it.

“I am worried that my place will also catch on fire, but I have no other choice except surviving here. I don’t know what work to do if I move from here,” said the grandfather of five who hails from North Sumatra and earns a living as a plantation keeper.

He said the area easily caught on fire because the water that kept the peatland wet had been drained by a big canal called the Gotek 010, which passed through the Giam Siak Kecil Nature Preserve and ended in a natural lake.

In 2014, he said, when the canal was dammed by the Riau Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA Riau) the water was abundant and the peatland became humid.

“Yet, the dam has been damaged by illegal loggers because the canal was the only access to transport the illegal logs out of the conservation area and the peatland water has drastically lowered,” Yadi said.

He said if the government dammed the canal or even permanently closed it the people would be happy because the water would not go anywhere and the peatland would be wet and thus would not easily catch on fire.

During his visit to the site, Nazir Foead, the head of the peatland restoration agency (BRG), promised to close the canal and only leave a small part of it as a water source during fires.

Nazir said that if it was impossible to totally close the canal, then numerous dividers would be provided along it to help control the height of the water surface.

Other measures to prevent fires include wetting the peatland with water taken from artesian wells. Nazir said digging an artesian well was relatively cheap, as it only cost some Rp 3 million (US$228) per unit.

He said artesian wells had been proven effective to fight peatland fires in Rimbo Panjang, Kampar regency, in just one-and-a-half hours. “The high expenses for operating firefighting helicopters can be switched to preventive measures,” he said.

He added the BRG had the task to make the burned peatland wet again, thus making it difficult to catch on fire in the future.

When the peatland humidity was already maintained the restoration program would be continued to the re-vegetation stage. At this stage the peatland in the conservation and protected areas would be planted with local vegetation that would easily grow well, live long, be resistant to wetness and not need special care.

For peatland belonging to the people, the owners would be asked to run plantations without burning land. They would also be asked to switch to commodities more suitable for peatland, such as pineapples, coffee, coconuts and sago.

“The government will with help with experts and seedlings. The BRG will run the program together with relevant ministries and regional administrations until 2020,” he said.

He affirmed that all burned and damaged peatland would be restored, including the 875,000 hectares that caught on fire last year across Indonesia.

He said restoration had actually been planned for 2 million hectares of peatland in seven affected provinces in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua. “But the BRG will not close its eyes on burned locations outside the targets,” he said.

He added the BRG was currently preparing a regulation on peatland restoration to force all companies to restore damaged peatland in their respective concession areas.

The companies’ obedience to maintaining the depth of the canal water surface at 30 centimeters below the surface of the ground would be monitored using special censors automatically connected real time to the server at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT).

He said if the peatland was poorly managed and the humidity went down to the dangerous zone, a warning would pop up. “That way the concession owners could be warned to look for water resources to rewet the peatland,” he said.

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Best of our wild blogs: 7 Sep 16

Second stretch of Rail Corridor to be closed on 19 September
The Long and Winding Road

John West, sustainable tuna fishing and how sustainable is the canned tuna from your local supermarket in Singapore
[PART 1] and [PART 2] by Gone Adventurin

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Singapore's national flower was artificially cross-bred

Melody Zaccheus, The Straits Times AsiaOne 7 Sep 16;

A debate over the origins of Singapore's national flower seems to have been resolved at long last.

For more than 30 years, there has been no consensus on whether the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid hybrid was a product of nature or whether it was artificially cross-bred by the late Agnes Joaquim, an Armenian horticulturist who was born in Singapore.

But two key relevant government bodies, the National Parks Board (NParks) and the National Heritage Board (NHB), are amending their official records, to clearly credit the human hand behind this bloom.

They now acknowledge the role of Miss Joaquim in cross-pollinating the Vanda hookeriana and Vanda teres to create the plant.

In contrast, over the past few decades, some have speculated that Miss Joaquim had merely stumbled upon the plant in her garden, and did not directly credit her for cross-breeding the hybrid.

For instance, the current version of the Singapore Botanic Gardens' website merely states that its first scientific director, Sir Henry Ridley, had named the plant after Miss Joaquim, "in whose garden the hybrid originated".

The National Library-operated Infopedia page on the flower does not offer an official account of its origins but notes the controversy and the two contradicting perspectives.

The page states: "One argument is that the plant is a natural hybrid and was discovered by Agnes Joaquim, who spotted it in her garden at 2 Narcis Street, Tanjong Pagar, in 1893."

The move to update official records was started by Miss Joaquim's great-great-grand niece, Singaporean Linda Locke, 63, in March.

She contacted the authorities with a large body of research that she had dug up over the past six months to refute naysayers, some of whom have argued that the hybrid could have occurred naturally, such as a result of being pollinated by carpenter bees.

Ms Locke wanted public agencies here to present consistent accounts of her ancestor's achievement and reduce confusion among Singaporeans over the history of their own national flower.

She noted the plant was officially recorded with the Singapore Botanic Gardens on a specimen sheet dated April 1893 where it was described as an artificial hybrid.

She also cited Sir Ridley's announcement of her ancestor's discovery and work in the June 24, 1893 issue of The Gardeners' Chronicle, a former British horticulture periodical.

He had written: "A few years ago Miss Joaquim, a lady residing in Singapore, well-known for her success as a horticulturist, succeeded in crossing Vanda Hookeriana, Rchb.f., and V.teres."

A spokesman said the changes were made to "better reflect Miss Agnes Joaquim's contributions, as stated in H.N. Ridley's account".

Nigel Taylor, group director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, said NParks adopts the account by Sir Ridley.

Dr Taylor added that NParks will now be "presenting this position more clearly by incorporating Ridley's account from The Gardeners' Chronicle in our interpretive boards and webpages".

Miss Joaquim died at 45 from cancer in 1899.

Ms Locke and her relatives hope her achievement in creating the flower will be recognised "across all relevant government bodies and their media portals".

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'Small' impact on Singapore economy from Zika: MAS’ Ravi Menon

Patrick John Lim Channel NewsAsia 6 Sep 16;

SINGAPORE: The outbreak of the Zika virus is unlikely to have a significant impact on the Singapore economy, the managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Ravi Menon, said on Tuesday (Sep 6).

Speaking at a lunch hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association, Mr Menon said that it is too early to tell what the impact might be. “I would say early indications are that there is some small impact but not likely to be significant for the overall economic outcome, but really it's still early days," he said.

As of Monday, 258 cases of locally transmitted Zika have been confirmed in Singapore.

Travel advisories to Singapore have been issued by several major economies, including the United States and Australia.

Mr Menon also spoke about the unit launched by MAS in August to fight money laundering. He said that the newly created surveillance unit as well as the use of data tracking would enable Singapore to step up the fight against money laundering, but that financial institutions must also play their part.

"Boards and senior management in particular must send a clear signal that profits do not come before values and ethics, and compensation structures must motivate not only high performance but also right conduct," he said.

He declined to specifically address the 1MDB scandal in neighbouring Malaysia which has involved banks based in Singapore.

1MDB, or 1Malaysia Development Berhad, was launched by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2009 and closely overseen by him.

Allegations of a vast international scheme of embezzlement and money-laundering involving billions of dollars of 1MDB money began to emerge two years ago.

Singapore is the first country to take legal action against bankers linked to the scandal.

"We will make more robust risk assessments of financial institutions' business activities, client profiles , geographical connections, transaction volumes and quality of controls," Mr Menon said.

He added that technology that can process huge amounts of data and find tell-tale patterns will be used to monitor illicit fund flows and transactions.

- CNA/AFP/dt/nc


Zika may bite S’pore economy: MAS head
LEE YEN NEE Today Online 6 Sep 16;

SINGAPORE — There are early indications that the Zika outbreak in the Republic could have a small impact on the economy, said Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) managing director Ravi Menon, after countries including the United States and the United Kingdom issued travel advisories warning pregnant women and those planning to conceive to avoid the city-state for now.

“It’s too early to tell. I would say early indications are that there could be some small impact, but not likely to be significant for the overall economic outcome. But really, it’s still early days,” Mr Menon said at a luncheon organised by the Foreign Correspondents Association (Singapore) on Tuesday (Sept 6) in response to a question on the possible economic impact of Zika.

Mr Menon did not dive into details but analysts at OCBC Investment Research said on Tuesday the recent outbreak and rapid local transmission could have “near-term anticipated effects on visitor arrivals and possibly even domestic consumption” in September.

Besides the US and the UK, Australia, South Korea and Taiwan have also issued travel advisories against pregnant women travelling to Singapore, while Malaysia has installed thermal screening at some of its checkpoints. Leading local travel agency Chan Brothers was quoted by Reuters on Tuesday as saying that there had been no cancellations of inbound tours but that new bookings may slow down.

On Singapore’s overall economic outlook, the central bank chief said there are no clear signs that recession risks have risen. While global growth has been below par, the US economy continues to do moderately well, China has avoided a hard landing and the immediate aftermath of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union did not turn out to be as disastrous as many had expected.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry last month lowered the country’s growth forecast for 2016 from 1 to 3 per cent to between 1 and 2 per cent. “The revised growth figures remain our main baseline forecast… As long as the global economy continues to chart along this modest, moderate pace, I think the Singapore economy should steer clear of recession. Clearly there are risks on the horizon. Tail risks, if they materialise, can make a difference,” Mr Menon said.

But even under a dire scenario, the banking system here will be able to withstand these pressures, he added. He was referring to a recent MAS stress tests on the banking system that included assumptions of major global economies slipping into recession, a sharp depreciation of regional currencies, Singapore’s resident unemployment rate spiking to 6 per cent and another 50 per cent plunge in property prices.

“Under these rather dire conditions, the banks’ NPLs (non-performing loans) could rise to 8 to 10 per cent by the end of 2018. That should not be surprising. What’s important is the banking system will be able to absorb these losses, the banks will continue to meet the Basel minimum capital requirement comfortably and they will have sufficient liquidity to meet their cash flows,” he said.

This resilience did not come about by accident, but from prudence and sound financial management in the industry, Mr Menon added. And Singapore must maintain these attributes to remain a relevant and trusted financial centre.

He also said the central bank is closely watching trends of banks cutting headcount globally, but the number of those affected in Singapore has been “much smaller” compared to other jurisdictions. Among the latest with such plans is Barclays Bank, who was reported on Monday to be cutting another 100 jobs from its IT operations in Singapore and moving some of these positions to India.

“When cost structures change, business activities do respond and what’s happened is lower value added activities that depend on cheap factors of production tend to shift out and hollow out over time, and new activities come in to replace them,” said Mr Menon, who named the new innovation labs, foreign exchange desks, expansion in derivatives trading as among new activities that have sprung up.

“I think we have to look at what’s coming in and what’s going out and seeing overall whether it makes sense, whether the financial sector as a whole is gaining in value added.”



Zika could impact slowing economy, Singapore bank chief says
Marius Zaharia and Anshuman Daga Reuters 6 Sep 16;
A Zika outbreak in Singapore could have a small impact on the almost $300 billion economy, the central bank chief said on Tuesday, as the mosquito-borne virus spreads across the global financial and transit hub.

Ravi Menon, managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, did not give further details, but the outbreak coincides with a dip in overall exports and growth in the trade-dependent economy. Growth is also slowing in China, Singapore's main overseas market.

"It's too early to tell. I would say early indications are there could be some small impact, but it's not likely to be significant from an overall economy outcome," Menon told reporters when asked about the impact of Zika.

"But really, it's still early days," he said at an event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association in Singapore.

Small, tropical Singapore reported its first locally infected Zika patient on Aug. 27 and since then, the number of reported infections has reached 275, with 17 more cases reported on Tuesday.

Health officials say the figure will rise, as the Aedes mosquitoes that carry the virus are all over the island, and hospitals have stopped isolating patients.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was quoted on the Channel News Asia website as calling at a regional summit in Laos for the 10 Southeast Asian countries to "join hands" to fight Zika, while keeping the region open for business and trade.

"It is imperative for us to work together to combat Zika, but we should put Zika in the proper context," Lee said. "Given the presence of the Aedes mosquito, Zika may become endemic in our region, just like dengue."

"We should prepare ourselves for a possibly extended campaign against Zika but ensure that the region remains open and connected for business and trade."

Last month, Singapore narrowed its economic growth forecast for the year to 1-2 percent from 1-3 percent growth previously expected, citing concerns over Brexit and weak global demand.

Economists said tourism and retail would be the areas most affected by Zika, which could in turn hold back growth. Tourism arrivals in the first six months of the year have increased 12.5 percent from a year ago, official statistics show.

"Tourism is about voluntary trips and this is going to have a dent," said Trinh Nguyen, senior economist for emerging-market Asia at French investment bank Natixis SA in Hong Kong.

"Zika will impact sentiment and people's already low propensity to consume."

SLOWER SALES

Retail sales excluding motor vehicles fell year-on-year in June for the fifth straight month, as worries about the sluggish global economy drove Singaporeans to cut spending.

Singapore is due to host a Formula One motor-racing Grand Prix next week. Promoters of the race say preparations are going on as usual. The Tourism Board says Singapore remains a safe destination.

Chan Brothers Travel, one of Singapore's biggest travel agencies, told Reuters there had been no cancellations but new bookings may slow down.

While most people experience mild symptoms, Zika infections in pregnant women have been shown to cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which the head and brain are undersized. In adults, it can cause a rare neurological syndrome called Guillain-Barre.

Zika is also affecting large parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil the hardest hit. In Southeast Asia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand have also reported Zika infections.

Regional health experts said a lack of adequate testing meant the spread of Zika was likely significantly under-reported.

(Additional reporting by Masayuki Kitano, Fathin Ungku and Saeed Azhar; Editing by Miral Fahmy, Robert Birsel)

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Singapore Zika cases hit 275; new potential cluster at Bishan found

Channel NewsAsia 6 Sep 16;

SINGAPORE: 17 new cases of locally transmitted Zika were confirmed on Tuesday (Sep 6), bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Singapore to 275. Authorities added that there is a potential new cluster at Bishan Street 12, involving a previously reported case and a new case today.

In a joint statement, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) added that, of the 17 new cases, 10 are linked to the Aljunied Crescent / Sims Drive / Kallang Way / Paya Lebar Way cluster.

Apart from the Bishan Street 12 case, the other six cases have no known links to any existing cluster.

NEA said it will be carrying out vector control operations and outreach efforts at the new potential cluster at Bishan Street 12.

The agency added that it has been continuing with vector control operations and outreach efforts in Aljunied Crescent, Sims Drive, Paya Lebar Way and Kallang Way, and that it has expanded operations and outreach efforts at the periphery of this cluster at Circuit Road, Geylang East Central, Geylang East Avenue 1.

As of Sep 5, 65 breeding habitats – comprising 38 in homes and 27 in common areas or other premises – have been detected and destroyed, it said.

The agency added that it is continuing with vector control operations and outreach efforts in Bedok North Avenue. As of Sep 5, 67 breeding habitats – comprising 56 in homes and 11 in common areas and other premises – have been detected and destroyed. Mosquito control measures are ongoing.
NEA said vector control operations and outreach efforts at Joo Seng Road are ongoing. As of Sep 5, two instances of breeding in common areas or other premises have been detected and destroyed.

The agency added that it would continue to work with stakeholders and the community to reduce mosquito breeding, as vector control is key to reducing the transmission of Zika in the community.

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told ASEAN leaders at the group's summit in Laos that, given the presence of the Aedes mosquito, Zika may become endemic in the region, like dengue, and called for the 10-member grouping to join hands in fighting a possibly extended campaign against the virus.

- CNA/dt


NTUC Fairprice brings in more anti-mosquito products as demand surges by over 10 times
Today Online 6 Sep 16;

SINGAPORE — Urging customers not to hoard anti-mosquito products and to “buy only what they need for personal use”, NTUC Fairprice announced on Tuesday (Sept 6) that it has placed an additional order for 175,000 packs/bottles/cans/tubes of various types of insect repellents and insecticides.

This quantity is equivalent to about 10 times the normal weekly sales of such items before Zika cases were reported, said NTUC Fairprice.

Delivery of these products will commence in batches from Tuesday till the end of the week, and prices of the products will remain unchanged, it added.

This comes after the discovery of locally-transmitted Zika virus infections in the Republic, which led to an increased demand in anti-mosquito products.

NTUC Fairprice noted a more than ten-fold increase in demand of such products over the past weekend compared to the month before. From Sept 1 to 4, more than 115,000 anti-mosquito products were purchased.

NTUC FairPrice chief executive officer Seah Kian Peng said: “We want to assure the community that additional stocks of anti-mosquito products are being sent to our stores and we will keep prices stable.

“There is no need to stock up as we will continue to bring in more supplies and we urge customers to only buy what they need so that as many households may have access to these products for their personal use.”

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Low chance of haze in next few days: NEA

Channel NewsAsia 6 Sep 16;

SINGAPORE: The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) for the next 24 hours is forecast to stay in the Moderate range, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Tuesday (Sep 6).

As of 6pm, the 24-hour PSI was 52-58, in the Moderate range, and the 1-hour PM2.5 concentration reading fell within the Normal range across Singapore. No hotspots were detected in Sumatra on Tuesday as well, due to a partial satellite pass and cloud cover, NEA said.

NEA said thundery showers are expected in Singapore on Wednesday morning, adding that prevailing winds are forecast to blow from the south or southwest. The 1-hour PM2.5 concentration reading is expected to stay in the Normal band.

NEA added that given the air quality forecast for the next day, everyone can continue with normal activities, while those who do not feel well - especially the elderly and children, and those with chronic heart or lunch conditions - should seek medical attention.

"For the next few days, the prevailing winds are forecast to gradually shift to blow from the south or southeast. Showers are still expected over parts of central and southern Sumatra. The likelihood of Singapore being affected by transboundary haze is low," NEA said.

- CNA/dl

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ASEAN should prepare for possibly extended campaign against Zika: PM Lee

Justin Ong Channel NewsAsia 6 Sep 16;

VIENTIANE, Laos: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday (Sep 6) urged the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) to join hands in fighting a possibly extended campaign against the Zika virus.

Speaking at the 28th ASEAN Summit plenary in Laos, Mr Lee said that Singapore has immediately stepped up measures since the number of locally transmitted cases jumped in just over a week to 258 as of Sep 5.

"It is imperative for us to work together to combat Zika, but we should put Zika in the proper context," said Mr Lee. "Given the presence of the Aedes mosquito, Zika may become endemic in our region, just like dengue."

"We should prepare ourselves for a possibly extended campaign against Zika but ensure that the region remains open and connected for business and trade."

He added that Singapore will work with ASEAN and the international community to combat the disease.

NEXT STEPS FOR HAZE; ASEAN

At the plenary Mr Lee also touched on the transboundary haze issue - stating that with all 10 ASEAN member states having ratified a joint agreement on haze pollution, as well as adopted a roadmap towards a "Haze‐Free ASEAN" by 2020, the next moves would be to fully operationalise both the ASEAN Haze Monitoring System and ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control.

"This will send a strong signal to the errant companies that have been causing the haze pollution," said Mr Lee.

He also spoke on the need to review, update and streamline ASEAN's processes - including for meetings and summits. Said Mr Lee: "I'm happy that Laos is holding the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits back‐to‐back in September this year.

"It has freed up the capacity for ASEAN to have two very good standalone Summits with the US and Russia," he added. "We should task our officials to follow through with concrete recommendations expeditiously."

Mr Lee also acknowledged that the Philippines - which will hold the ASEAN chairmanship in 2017 - had proposed a review of the ASEAN Charter. "It is a good idea, but we should be very careful in going about it," he stated.

ASEAN UNITY, CENTRALITY

At the opening of his speech Mr Lee also spoke on the importance of working on strengthening ASEAN "unity and centrality". Reiterating a point he made at Singapore's National Day Rally last month, he said: "As individual countries, our voice carries limited weight but collectively, with more than 600 million people speaking as one, we will have a louder voice and stronger bargaining power."

"It can be difficult for ASEAN to speak with one voice on issues where we have different positions but we must not let such differences divide us," he added. "If we are divided, we will lose our relevance and value to our partners."

Mr Lee concluded: "The ASEAN community will always be a work in progress but if we stay united and work together, we can overcome our challenges and prosper together."

- CNA/dt


PM Lee warns region to prepare for extended campaign against Zika
ALBERT WAI Today Online 6 Sep 16;

VIENTIANE — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday (Sept 6) that South-east Asia should prepare for a “possibly extended campaign” against Zika, while taking steps to ensure that the regional economy is not affected.

“The Aedes mosquito is endemic in our region and Zika may also be endemic in our region, just like dengue,” said Mr Lee during the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) Summit plenary session in Vientiane.

“We should prepare ourselves for a possibly extended campaign against Zika but ensure that the region remains open and connected for business and trade.”

He said Singapore will work with countries in the region, as well as the international community, to combat the disease, which has affected some 275 people in the Republic.

Mr Lee noted that 72 countries and territories have reported evidence of mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission since 2007, including some in South-east Asia.

“Since the recent detection of locally transmitted cases in Singapore, we have undertaken necessary immediate measures, for example, stepping up testing, intensifying mosquito control, expanding public education, and advising on extra precautions for pregnant woman,” said Mr Lee, adding that the Republic’s efforts have been affirmed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The WHO had stated that Zika transmission is present in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Malaysia has also announced Zika cases, including a man from Sabah who died over the weekend because of health complications.

In Thailand, the public health authorities have stepped up surveillance on the virus after reporting nearly 120 cases so far this year, compared with less than 10 annually previously.

Regional health experts believe Zika is significantly under-reported in South-east Asia as the authorities fail to conduct adequate screening and because of its usually mild symptoms.

A senior Indonesian official said this week that it cannot afford to thoroughly check for a possible Zika outbreak as it must focus on fighting dengue.

“At the moment, we cannot go out there and test everybody or every suspected case for Zika because it is too costly,” said Mr Muhamad Subuh, director-general for disease prevention and control at Indonesia’s Health Ministry. “There are other priorities, like dengue fever, which is more prevalent and more dangerous, and we have to allocate our resources accordingly.”

Mr Subuh said the ministry was actively monitoring for Zika, but experts said the authorities would struggle to identify patients as few hospitals offered Zika testing, and those that did expected patients to pay more than US$150 (S$203) for a test, putting it out of reach of many ordinary Indonesians.

“The biggest challenge right now is that we may miss Zika-infected patients because of the lack of facilities and testing,” said Dr Tedjo Sasmono, a scientist at Jakarta’s Eijkman Institute, one of only two facilities in Indonesia capable of diagnosing Zika. WITH AGENCIES

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Programme to detect infectious diseases like Zika set up as early as 2 years ago: Gan

Channel NewsAsia 6 Sep 16;

SINGAPORE: Authorities in Singapore have been working with general practitioners to detect infectious diseases like Zika under a surveillance programme that was set up two years ago, revealed Health Minister Gan Kim Yong in an exclusive interview with Channel NewsAsia on Monday (Sep 5).

The interview is reproduced below:

Q: MOH has been monitoring for Zika for more than a year now as part of the sentinel monitoring programme. Could you tell us a little bit more about this programme and what it aims to do?

A: As we have always expected Zika to come to Singapore sooner or later, it’s not a matter of whether it would come, but when it would come. Therefore, we have put in place a monitoring system about two years ago together with 200 GP clinics. We have also made Zika a reportable disease under the Infectious Diseases Act, so that even GPs who are not our partner GPs, they are also on the lookout for potential Zika cases, especially those with travel history to Zika-infected areas.

So over the last two years, these partner GPs of ours collected some 1,600 samples from those patients who have been to those affected areas, as well as those who have not been to these affected areas but have dengue-like symptoms, and they were tested not to have dengue and therefore we test them for Zika. And so far, all 1,600 cases were tested negative.

In addition to this system, we’ve also been working with all the GPs and all the clinics in Singapore to be on the lookout for unusual infections or unexplained trends, so that we are alerted to potential problems, including Zika. And this was actually how the first case of locally transmitted Zika was confirmed.

Q: When the local cases surfaced last week, there was some confusion over timelines and back-tracing among the general public. How did we go from one confirmed case to 41 confirmed cases the next day? Can you explain a little about how that actually works and what the point of back-tracing is?

A: Actually, this requires some explanation. It’s important to also clarify some of the misconception about the timeline of the emergence of these cases. The first case was a lady, a 47-year-old lady. She fell ill and approached the doctor on Aug 26 and we took her blood, tested it and it was confirmed on Aug 27 to be a positive case.

That was the first confirmed case of locally transmitted Zika. And on the night of Aug 27 itself, we made the announcement.

At the same time, we also had three other cases, suspect cases, results were still pending confirmation. We also made the announcement that they were preliminarily tested positive, pending confirmation.

But before that, before the first confirmed case, we had been alerted to unusual trend of infections, which they could not explain, and the GP alerted us and we have been discussing with the GP. That was on Aug 22 and once this first case of Zika case was confirmed, we decided to look back in time at the cases that emerged from this GP and to investigate further to see whether there were other cases of Zika transmission in the community.

That’s why we began to look back and we went back to the GP, took the data, contacted the patients, and we also noticed that many of the patients were construction workers. That’s why we went back to the construction site in the area, looked for the patients who were ill several weeks ago and tested them for Zika. And this all happened on Aug 27, 28 and we were able to confirm several cases of Zika - 36 of them.

And among these positive cases, we found that the first case, the earliest case that showed symptoms was Jul 31. So it did not mean that we knew about the Jul 31 case on Jul 31 and did not announce it. But because of the backward-looking test, we found that the first case started to have symptoms on Jul 31.

But the case was only confirmed on Aug 27. And that’s when we announced it the following day.

Q: Let’s come back to the sentinel programme. Could we say that the reason why the sentinel programme didn’t pick up more of these cases even before we first got to know about them, because the locations of the clinics – 200 of them – were not near where some of these clusters were developing?

A: I think one important factor that we have to bear in mind is that a lot of the Zika cases were actually asymptomatic. That means that they had no symptoms, which means that it is difficult to detect them. And those with symptoms also tend to be very mild and they also may not have travel history. So in addition to the Sentinel programme surveillance where we work with 200 GPs, we have also been working with all the other GPs, as I have mentioned, to be on the lookout for unusual trends of infection so that we can investigate further. So it is a multi-pronged approach in the surveillance system to look out for Zika as well as other emerging infectious diseases.

Q: You mentioned that a lot of these cases are actually quite mild. Do we expect more severe cases? Are there different strains of Zika we might see emerging? What should pregnant women do in the current situation? Who can they reach out to?

A: Zika is generally a very mild disease. Most of the symptoms are very mild; many of them do not have symptoms. This was the case in other countries which have Zika, and this has also been our experience so far.

Our main concern really is for pregnant women. A small number of pregnant women who infected with Zika, they may have developmental problems with their foetus, and therefore we are paying particular attention to these women who are infected by Zika.

Those pregnant women who are infected, we encourage them to discuss with their doctors, and our public hospitals will also refer them to a maternal foetal medicine specialist, so that they can provide appropriate advice.

We also have to bear in mind that not all infected patients of pregnant women will develop developmental problems with their foetus. Therefore it is important that we do counselling and support on a case-by-case basis, on an individual basis. So I would encourage these ladies to speak to their specialists, so that they can receive the appropriate counselling and support.

Q: Are you surprised that there doesn't appear to be a high number of Zika cases in neighbouring countries?

A: It’s difficult for me to comment on what happens in other countries. I would say that every country’s situation is different, the landscape is different. It is better for us to focus on Singapore, on what we can do and what we would like to do.

I think Zika is a disease that we need to come together as a people, as a government, as a society. So it’s a whole-of-government effort and a whole-of-society approach to tackling Zika. And the most effective way is to focus on vector control, where you and I can do our part in ensuring that we do not breed mosquitoes.

We eradicate all the potential breeding sites, so as to reduce the mosquito population and make transmission less easy.

Q: The idea of sequencing. Do you think sequencing work will help us in our fight of the disease?

A: I think the sequencing will allow us to have a better understanding of the disease – how it spreads and how it is transmitted and its behaviour. I think scientific knowledge is important for us to determine how best we can fight this disease. But I think it is still in early stage. There is still a lot of scientific work that needs to be done for us to better understand the virus and the disease.

- CNA

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