[Nulgath]

Jakarta - The Indonesian government has issued a travel advisory for Singapore on Wednesday (31/08) amid an outbreak of the Zika virus, which has already infected 82 people in the city-state.

Health Minister Nila F. Moeloek coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before the government issued the warning.

The minister advised Indonesians, especially women who are pregnant and those trying to get pregnant, to avoid traveling to Singapore.

"If [the visit] is urgent, what can we say? But if it can be postponed, it should. Pregnant women must carefully consider the risks before visiting Singapore, because their children could be born with microcephaly," Nila said.

Microcephaly is a rare birth defect where babies are born with significantly smaller heads than those of other children of the same age and sex. Brazil has reported more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly this year, as Zika continues to spread in the South American country.

In May, Singapore saw its first Zika virus case when a 48-year-old foreigner, who is a permanent resident in the city-state, was diagnosed with the disease after returning from Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Nila said the Indonesian government is deeply concerned about a possible Zika outbreak after the neighboring country saw the number of cases double to 82 in just one month.

"The government will also ask people who are arriving [in Indonesia] from Singapore to complete a health alert card. We have to protect our citizens, because this virus has become very mobile," the minister said. "I have instructed health offices, especially in Batam [Riau Islands province] to take blood samples from people [arriving from Singapore] who show signs of a fever. If they do not pass the health check, we will summon them."

On Tuesday, Singaporean authorities continued to inspect thousands of homes in seven parts of the city, including five foreign worker dormitories. According to unconfirmed reports, there is at least one Indonesian citizen among those infected.

"Until today, we have not received any reports about Indonesians in Singapore who are infected with the virus," Nila said.

Zika cases have been reported in at least 45 countries, prompting the World Health Organization to issue a global public health emergency.

"People need to be aware that this disease is spread by mosquitoes, in the same way the Aedes aegypti, mosquito spreads dengue fever. People need to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes," the health minister said.

Stepping Up Health Security

The government is expected to take several steps to prevent the virus from spreading to the archipelago. Health scanners have been installed at some seaports and airports that are the main entry points for people arriving from Singapore. Health officials and immigration officers are now cooperating to check all passengers to prevent Zika from entering the country.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said she has been coordinating with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and the Health Ministry to step up health security at Indonesian ports of entry.

"I have received an initial report from our ambassador in Singapore. Since then, I have made some arrangements with the health minister and the justice minister," Retno said. "All ports of entry will be equipped with health detectors for passengers coming from Singapore."

Australia, Taiwan and South Korea have also issued travel advisories for Singapore over to the Zika virus.

The outbreak and the warnings come as a potential blow to tourism in one of the world's busiest travel hubs, which is already struggling to recover from a slump amid tepid global growth.