SINGAPORE
- The Ministry of Health (MOH) is concerned that people going for the Olympic
Games in Brazil might bring yellow fever to Singapore, and is advising them to
get vaccinated before they go.
This is
because yellow fever is spread by the same Aedes mosquito that is responsible
for dengue, which is endemic in Singapore, and the Zika virus - with at least
one case identified here earlier this month.
The MOH
said in a release on Tuesday (May 17) that while Rio de Janeiro, where the
Olympic Games will be held in August, is not endemic for this disease, most
states in Brazil are.
It
expects more people from Singapore to go to Brazil for the games and advises
them to get vaccinated at least 10 days before they go.
It said:
"Although there are as yet no reported cases of yellow fever in Singapore,
any importation of the disease risks the disease taking root here due to the
presence of the Aedes mosquito."
It said
the vaccine, which is available at more than 100 clinics, "is the most
effective preventive measure against yellow fever" and confers lifetime
immunity.
Symptoms
of yellow fever include fever, chills, headache, muscle and joint ache, loss of
appetite and nausea or vomitting.
However,
most infected people have mild or no symptoms, so they could unwittingly bring
the disease back with them.
It urged
people who for medical reasons cannot be vaccinated to protect themselves from
mosquito bites by wearing long, covered clothing, applying insect repellent and
by sleeping under mosquito nets or in rooms with wire-mesh that keep mosquitoes
out.
They
should see a doctor if they have any symptoms of yellow fever.
The
release added that Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa are
currently having large outbreaks of yellow fever.
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