No signs of microcephaly in babies of Zika-infected mums

No signs of microcephaly in babies of Zika-infected mums

TWO women who were diagnosed with Zika while pregnant have given birth and their babies have no signs of microcephaly, a birth defect linked to the virus. The mothers have also recovered from Zika.

To date, there are no reported cases of Zika-linked microcephaly in Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) told The Straits Times. The defect is marked by babies having small heads that can lead to severe developmental problems.

As of last Tuesday, 17 pregnant women were confirmed to have Zika, an MOH spokesman said.

"Their doctors are following up closely with them to provide support and counselling," she added.

The family of a third woman who was found to have Zika during her pregnancy said her baby's development has been healthy.

MOH is also exploring plans to set up a national surveillance programme to monitor the development of babies born to pregnant women with Zika.

Still, pregnant women here are not taking any risks.

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Christine Koh, now 26 weeks pregnant, armed herself with mosquito patches, repellents and air diffusers, after the Zika outbreak here was first reported in late August.

More than two months on, the 31-year-old housewife, who lives in Telok Kurau, a frequent dengue cluster, still does so and ensures there is no stagnant water at home. The Aedes mosquito is a vector that can spread Zika and dengue.

"Since the wet season is here, we may expect more mosquitoes. It's better for me to keep up with the measures I've adopted. They give me a peace of mind," Ms Koh said. She is due to give birth in February.

Other consumers are still snapping up anti-mosquito products, despite fewer new Zika cases being reported.

Supermarkets and pharmacies said while sales of anti-mosquito products have slowed in recent weeks, they remain higher than before the Zika outbreak here.

A spokesman for supermarket chain Sheng Siong said demand for such products is currently still about 30 per cent higher than before the Zika outbreak here, but a drop from its peak.

Dairy Farm, which runs Cold Storage and Giant outlets, said sales of anti-mosquito products have slowed but are still two to three times higher than average compared with the pre-Zika outbreak period.

At the peak of the outbreak, some outlets of supermarket chains ran out of these items in early September.

Pest control firms said interest in their services has come down too but remains high.

Declan Ee, director of pest control firm Ikari Services, said when the Zika outbreak here was first reported in August, there was a 100 per cent jump in enquiries. But this has now dipped to about 30 per cent more than usual.

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jalmsab@sph.com.sg

Additional reporting by Seow Bei Yi


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