India confirms 13 of its nationals test positive for Zika in Singapore

Vikas Swarup, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said that 13 Indian nationals have tested positive for Zika in Singapore.

A Zika outbreak at first affected three dozen workers on a construction site in Singapore. (Source AP Photo/File)

The External Affairs Ministry confirmed on Thursday that 13 of its nationals had 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.

“According to our mission in Singapore 13 Indian nationals have tested positive for Zika in Singapore,” Vikas Swarup, spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs, said in response to a Reuters inquiry. US 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.

China’s Foreign Ministry too said on Thursday that its embassy in Singapore had been informed by the island state’s health ministry that 21 Chinese nationals in the country are confirmed to have been infected with Zika.

The foreign ministry added that the health situation was not serious and that some of them had recovered.

Malaysia confirmed on Thursday the first cases of Zika in the Southeast Asian country in a woman who recently travelled to Singapore for three days on August 19. Malaysia’s health minister said the woman tested positive for Zika in her urine after she experienced a rash and fever for a week after her return from Singapore.

Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam said her child, who is in Singapore, also tested positive for Zika.

Singapore announced the first locally contracted case of Zika late on Saturday, and the number of diagnosed infections has grown steadily this week.