Tropical Singapore, battling dengue, now warns of Zika virus

[January 27, 2016]  SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Tropical Singapore, already battling potentially fatal dengue fever, will introduce measures to control the risk of mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil, the government said on Wednesday.

There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, a close cousin of dengue and chikungunya. The virus is transmitted by the same type of mosquitoes that spread dengue and Singapore has suffered a spike in dengue cases this month.

Singapore is asking returning travelers from affected areas to seek medical attention if they develop symptoms such as fever and skin rashes.

The government "will implement a set of control measures to reduce the risk of the Zika virus becoming entrenched in Singapore", including advisory posters at the airport for outbound travelers and hospitalizing all confirmed cases.

(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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