Wrote a piece on Zika thanks to a kind invitation from the SMA News Editor. Submitted 9th March, published a few days ago, and already largely out of date. We have to accept that this is the speed of information gain today, which in many ways is not a bad thing.

It is now widely accepted that the Zika virus causes microcephaly and other birth defects in the children of infected pregnant women.

The Ministry of Health Singapore has a regularly updated page with a  list of countries with ongoing Zika transmission as well as travel advice. It has also come up with guidance for healthcare professionals for the management of pregnant women exposed to the virus (no weblink).

There still isn’t a good and validated way to test for Zika locally other than PCR tests provided by the Environmental Health Institute or National Public Health Laboratory, although hopefully this will change soon. Clinical suspicion and taking a good travel history remains vitally important for healthcare professionals who see patients with viral fevers.