Two cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection in Singapore have been confirmed at Simon Place, which is regarded as the first Zika cluster of 2017, said National Environment Agency (NEA) in a press release on Wednesday.
The authority revealed that both cases are residents in the vicinity and from the same household. The Zika cluster was notified on Tuesday, and vector control operations are being carried out.
NEA has commenced vector control operations since the afternoon of Tuesday, as well as outreach activities at the cluster.
As of Wednesday, NEA has inspected about 120 premises out of about 400 premises in the Simon Place cluster to check for mosquito breeding, and also conducted ground checks in the vicinity. 10 breeding habitats have been detected and destroyed.
Indoor spraying of insecticides has also been carried out at the premises inspected. Thermal fogging and misting have also been carried out at the outdoor areas on Wednesday, said the press release.
NEA urged the residents and stakeholders to maintain vigilance and continue to eliminate mosquito breeding habitats, as there could still be asymptomatic or mild, undiagnosed cases which might result in further transmission of the virus if there are mosquitoes in the vicinity.
