Scientists say Singapore Zika is Asian, cases reach 200

Residents walk to work past a public service announcement banner against the spread of Aedes mosquitoes, a carrier for the Zika virus, at a residential block at Aljunied Crescent neighbourhood in Singapore on August 29, 2016. -AFP filepic

SINGAPORE: Singapore on Saturday reported 215 cases of Zika infections as scientists in the city-state said the virus strain comes from within Asia and was not imported from Brazil.

The Ministry of Health and National Environment Agency said in a joint statement on Saturday evening that of the 26 new cases reported Saturday, 24 were linked to a cluster in the Aljunied district where the country’s first locally-transmitted cases were reported.