13 Indians in Singapore test positive for Zika, confirms MEA

The External Affairs Ministry (MEA) has confirmed that 13 Indians have tested positive for the Zika virus in Singapore, after an outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease that at first affected three dozen workers on a construction site.

MEA official spokesperson Vikas Swarup in response to a Reuters query said that according to mission in Singapore, 13 Indian nationals have tested positive for Zika.

United State health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.

Singapore's Ministry of Health has confirmed that Zika virus is on a surge in the country, with 115 locally-transmitted cases, including a pregnant woman.

The majority of reported cases are among foreign construction workers based in the residential Aljunied Crescent neighbourhood in Singapore.

Though Zika virus cases were limited to this area on Monday, by late Tuesday the Ministry of Health reported 26 new cases which showed how the Zika virus had spread to nearby residential areas.

The Ministry of Health yesterday said that the new confirmed cases were from the Aljunied and Sims Drive neighbourhoods as well as the Kallang Way and Payar Lebar areas.

Singapore is also known to suffer widely from dengue virus, a mosquito-borne tropical disease that triggers high fevers, headaches, vomiting and skin rashes.