Increasing outbreaks of the mosquito-borne Zika virus have prompted a plethora of travel advisories for visits across Asia, the Caribbean, North, Central and South America, and the Pacific Islands.

Countries differ on the risk posed by various destinations. For South-east Asia, the United States has issued a Zika travel warning only for Singapore, but Britain says Thailand is high-risk and the Philippines and Indonesia are a moderate risk. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control warns that travel to Thailand and Indonesia is risky, but omits the Philippines.

Travel advisories from governments and health organisations, however, are consistent in urging pregnant women and those planning to become pregnant to avoid non-essential travel to countries with Zika outbreaks.

The advisories also encourage travellers to use mosquito repellent and to wearprotective clothing. Given the risk of sexual transmission of the virus, condoms and a period of abstinence from sex after returning from Zika hot spots are advised.

What is the Zika virus?

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Reuters, The Straits Times, The New Paper, NEA

Malaysia is among the countries monitoring arriving travellers with thermal scanners.

The US Department of Homeland Security told The Straits Times that Customs and Border Protection agents routinely monitor travellers entering the US for illness, but said it was not taking any special measures to screen those coming from Zika-affected countries.

“Based on current understanding of the virus, the CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) does not recommend enhanced public health screening to detect Zika-infected travellers entering the country,” the department said.

“Such measures would not be effective because most people who are infected with Zika are asymptomatic and therefore cannot be identified during the screening process.”

Locally-transmitted Zika in Singapore

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The Straits Times, The New Paper

It added, however, that as part of its standard operations, an overtly ill traveller entering the US might be referred for further medical evaluation. The department said the CDC and Customs and Border Protection will continually assess the need for additional actions.

This article was first published on September 02, 2016.
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A nine-month-old boy was scalded after his buttocks was rinsed with hot water at a childcare centre.

The New Paper understands that the infant sustained second-degree burns on his buttocks and thigh, and may require plastic surgery.

The incident occurred at Learning Vision @ Vista Point in Woodlands on Aug 19 while a carer was changing the baby’s diaper.

Mr Ronald Kwong, director of operations of Busy Bees Asia, the operator of Learning Vision, confirmed the incident.

“We want to express our heartfelt apologies to the parents of the infant who was scalded at the Learning Vision childcare centre,” he said.

“We take full responsibility for the incident.”

Mr Kwong said that only two of the 22 Learning Vision centres were fitted with a water tank heater system, with Vista Point being one of them.

The heater system should not have been fitted and this has since been rectified, he added.

According to Mr Kwong, the carer had scalded the infant after rinsing his buttocks with hot water dispensed from the tank.

He said there was one carer to every four infants at the time of the accident.

But he did not address TNP’s queries whether the carer was certified and trained in the proper standard operating procedures.

He mentioned that the carer was receiving additional help from another carer who has worked in other childcare centres.

“Having relief carers is not a common occurrence at Learning Vision centres. We have reviewed and tightened our standard operating procedures,” Mr Kwong said.

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What childcare centres offer for $600 to over $2,000 a month

Opening of two mega childcare centres delayed

MEDICAL CARE

The centre has contacted the infant’s parents to ensure the child receives medical care.

When TNP contacted the mother, she declined to comment because she has hired a lawyer to seek compensation for the incident.

An Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) spokesman said it was aware of the incident but was unable to comment as police investigations are ongoing.

The spokesman added: “ECDA is working with the centre to ensure the safety and well-being of the other children at the centre.”

Madam Lee Ling Ling, a 33-year-old mother of a six-month-old girl, was shocked to hear of the incident.

The senior manager at a public relations company places her in the care of a childcare centre when she and her husband are at work.

She said: “Had it happened to my daughter, I would have been horrified. Infants are helpless, so we rely on the expertise of carers to make sure their needs are met.”

Kindergarten manager Ng Yan Ming, a mother to a six-year-old girl, said: “Clearly, the helper should have tested the water first.”

While Madam Ng, who is in her 40s, acknowledged that accidents do happen, she stressed that anyone minding a child must be accountable for the child’s welfare.

Stressing that those working in the childcare and kindergarten business must be certified and trained in handling children, she said: “If I put my child in somebody’s hands, someone has to be responsible.”

This article was first published on September 02, 2016.
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Team Singapore’s 25 Olympians remain free of symptoms of the Zika virus, more than a week after the conclusion of the Games in Rio de Janeiro.

But with an outbreak here following local transmission of the virus, the contingent is continuing with precautionary measures.

Athletes and officials, who returned to Singapore in batches, with the last batch arriving home on Wednesday last week, are being monitored.

They have also been advised to report their well-being to the team doctor, Dr Darren Leong, every day.

Said Mr Low Teo Ping, chef de mission of Singapore’s Olympic contingent: “We are keeping a close tab on the athletes and officials, monitoring them for symptoms such as fever, skin rash, headache, fatigue, muscle pain and joint pain for three weeks upon their return.

“We have also advised them to continue to apply insect repellent, wear long-sleeved clothing where possible and to avoid travelling to multiple places in a day.”

Locally-transmitted Zika in Singapore

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The Straits Times, The New Paper

National badminton player Derek Wong, 27, who is married to former national shuttler Vanessa Neo, has been back for nearly a fortnight. He said: “I am monitoring my health and signs of any symptoms. I’m also in touch with our team doctor who went to the Olympics with us.”

Singapore is fielding 13 athletes for the Sept 7 to 18 Paralympics, which will also be held in Rio.

Like their Olympic counterparts, Singapore’s Paralympians, who left for Rio last night, have been issued items that will help safeguard the contingent against insects.

These include arm and calf sleeves, military-tested mosquito repellent, and permethrin solution with which to treat their clothing.

What is the Zika virus?

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Reuters, The Straits Times, The New Paper, NEA

This article was first published on September 02, 2016.
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Experts say the four-day-long glitch causing delays on the Circle Line is a “serious” issue, even as the operator and the authorities say they are working “round the clock” to resolve the issue.

Since Monday morning, trains on the five-year-old line have had to apply emergency braking several times a day as they intermittently lose signalling communication with the tracks, leading to longer journeys.

National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der- Horng said: “It sounds quite serious to me… it’s been four days.”

Prof Lee said the line operates on a wireless communications-based system which “tells trains how fast they should be going, when they should slow down, and when to stop”. He added that such a system has to be “reliable” and that “there should not be any blind spot”.

SIM University senior lecturer Park Byung Joon even warned that the intermittent loss of communication could “proliferate and lead to a total shutdown”.

Operator SMRT has now put drivers on board the driverless system, but Dr Park said doing this in the long run “is not feasible”. “The system is not designed for that,” he said. “That’s a short-term solution.”

Dr Park noted, however, that the emergency braking system will ensure safety when the signalling system fails. “It’s not a high probability that it (the braking system) will fail as well,” he said, but added that when a technical fault persists for days, the authorities have to manage public perception about safety and reliability.

Dr Park added that it would be useful to find out if the stoppages have increased or decreased in frequency and severity. But there was no information available on this.

In a joint statement with SMRT yesterday, the Land Transport Authority said: “We are working round the clock to restore service levels.”

They are also working with systems supplier Alstom to fix the issue, which has been traced to unknown communication interference in the tunnels.

“Commuters… are advised to factor in extra travel time to get to appointments on time,” the LTA said.

Read also: Root cause of Circle Line glitches remains ‘buried’

Commuter Andrew Ng, 28, said that he was anticipating delays and left home for work earlier on Wednesday morning, but was still 15 minutes late.

“It was really bad. It took me 45 minutes to travel from Serangoon to Holland Village,” the communications specialist said, adding that the journey typically took less than 20 minutes.

Prof Lee of NUS, a regular user of the Circle Line, said he now uses the bus to complete his journey to work “because I don’t want to risk being late”.

Other commuters took to social media to make light of the unknown communication interference in the tunnels yesterday.

“Must be Godzilla,” Eisen tweeted.

“Perhaps there is a kaiju in the tunnels,” TunasKelapa rejoined, referring to the Japanese anime term for “strange beast”.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport and MP for Potong Pasir, said even as investigations into the glitch continue, SMRT should deploy more staff at stations to help commuters: “This is important as the problem has now been protracted for four days.”

SMRT said it is doing just that, adding “we apologise for the inconvenience and seek all commuters’ understanding as we work… to resolve the issue”.

This article was first published on Sep 02, 2016.
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