Indonesia Health Ministry issues Singapore travel advisory amid Zika spread

The Indonesian government is advising its citizens against traveling to Singapore on account of the ongoing Zika outbreak in the city-state.

“Anyone who wish to travel [to Singapore] may want to reconsider, but if it’s urgent then we can’t stop them. But if possible, it’s better to delay [trips to Singapore],” said Health Minister Nila Moloek, as quoted by Kompas today.

There have been 82 confirmed cases of Zika infections in Singapore so far.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has caused explosive outbreaks in the Americas and the Caribbean since late last year, poses a particular risk to pregnant women because it can cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains. 

Previously, the US, Australia, Taiwan, and South Korea all warned their pregnant citizens not to travel to Singapore.

Minister Nila said that she instructed that all travellers coming from Singapore into Indonesia be medically examined at all points of entries.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her ministry is working to confirm a rumor that an Indonesian citizen was infected by the Zika virus in Singapore.



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on