Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
45
spices, or an incr ease in physical activity .
Always carry Immodium, or a comparable
antidiarrheal, but most impor tant, don 't
forget to drink plenty of water to av oid
dehydration. If symptoms include painful
cramps, fever, or rash, seek medical atten-
tion immediately; otherwise, it'll probably
just clear up by itself.
Singapore's climate guarantees heat and
humidity year-round; you should remem-
ber to take pr ecautions. G ive y ourself
plenty of time to r elax and r egroup on
arrival to adjust your body to the ne w cli-
mate (and to the ne w time, if ther e is a
time difference for you). Also drink plenty
of water. Avoid o verexposure to the sun.
The tr opical sun will burn y ou like thin
toast in no time at all. You may also feel
more lethargic than usual. This is typical
in the heat, so take things easy and y ou'll
be fine. Be careful of the air-conditioning,
though. It's nice and cooling, but if y ou're
prone to catching a chill, or find y ourself
moving in and out of air-conditioned
buildings a lot, y ou can wind up with a
horrible summer cold.
BUG BITES
Although you have no risk
of contracting malaria in S ingapore (the
country's been declar ed malaria-fr ee for
decades b y the World H ealth O rganiza-
tion), there is a similar deadly vir us,
den-
gue fever,
that's carried by mosquitoes and
for which ther e is no immunization. A
problem in the Tropics around the world,
dengue fev er is contr olled in S ingapore
with an aggressive campaign to prevent the
responsible mosquitoes fr om br eeding.
Still, each y ear cases of infection ar
best protection is to w ear insect r epellent
that contains DEET , especially if y ou're
heading out to the z oo, bird park, or any
of the gar dens or natur e pr eserves, espe-
cially during the daytime.
A ne wer thr eat,
chikunguniya
, also a
mosquito-borne vir us, has also posed a
danger here in recent years. Symptoms are
similar to those of dengue fev er.
VIRAL INFECTIONS
On February 25,
2003, S ingapore r eported its first case of
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, more
commonly kno wn as
SARS.
What
exploded into an epidemic affecting almost
8,500 people worldwide was quickly
brought under contr ol in the island state
due to immediate and effectiv e actions
taken b y the M inistries of H ealth and
Education and the media, combined with
the tireless vigilance of Singaporeans them-
selves. After 3 months of battle, SARS had
claimed the lives of 33 people in Singapore
but had mobiliz ed the entir e countr y to
take daily precautions against the spread of
the disease in an effor t that was highly
lauded by the World Health Organization
(WHO). The r espiratory infection is
3
passed on thr ough dr oplets when an
infected person sneez es or coughs; ho w-
ever, most SARS infections are transmitted
only thr ough v ery close contact. Today
casual travelers face no threats of contract-
ing this disease in Singapore.
Also in the ne ws, cases of
Asian bir d
flu,
or Avian influenza, have been reported
all over Asia Pacific, with countries culling
over 100 million poultr y to contain out-
breaks. A vian influenza is an acute viral
infection affecting bir ds and poultr y.
Cross-infection to humans is rar e; ho w-
ever, it does happen among people who
have come in contact with sick or dead
birds. To pr otect the countr y, S ingapore
keeps a close watch on its poultr y farms
and has dev eloped safe channels for the
import of all poultr y pr oducts to make
sure infected meats and eggs don't cross its
borders.
e
reported, almost all of them occurring in
suburban neighborhoods and r ural ar eas.
Symptoms of dengue fever include sudden
fever and tiny r ed, spotty rashes on the
body. I f y ou suspect y ou've contracted
dengue, seek medical attention immedi-
ately (see the listing of hospitals under
“Fast Facts: Singapore,” in Appendix A). If
left untreated, this disease can cause inter-
nal hemorrhaging and ev en death. Your