16 pregnant women in Singapore confirmed to have Zika

SINGAPORE: A total of 16 pregnant women have been confirmed to have the Zika virus in Singapore, the Ministry of Health said on Friday (Sep 23), nearly a month since the first locally transmitted Zika case was identified by authorities.

The doctors of the pregnant women are following up closely with them to provide counselling and support.

As of Friday, there are 387 confirmed Zika cases in Singapore, according to data on the National Environment Agency's website.

Responding to queries by Channel NewsAsia, the Health Ministry confirmed that 658 Zika tests were conducted between Sep 7 and Sep 17.

Of these, 197 were for pregnant and or symptomatic individuals who required the test.

The Ministry also added that it is exploring plans to set up a national surveillance programme to monitor the development of babies born to pregnant women with Zika. It added that it is keeping close tabs on the pregnant women who have been notified to have the Zika virus infection.

Early results from a study in Brazil has linked Zika infection in pregnant women with microcephaly in their babies - a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems.

Microcephaly has been tracked by Singapore's national birth defects registry since January 1993.

Between 2011 and 2014, the annual number of microcephaly cases registered with the registry in Singapore ranged from five to 12 per 10,000 live births in Singapore.

There have been no microcephaly cases associated with the Zika virus infection reported in Singapore so far.

- CNA/dt

Finally, Lexus has a sick-looking crossover concept

So, Lexus isn't playing it safe. The Japanese luxury brand revealed a concept called the UX that will be revealed at the Paris Motor Show, and to say it's eye-catching is anunderstatement. It looks like one of those new-fangled, coupe-styled SUVs, along the lines of the BMW X6, though Lexus isn't explaining exactly what the UX is.

It nebulously says the concept is meant to appeal to a "progressive, urban audience living in a connected environment." Sounds like an X6-, or perhaps an X4-fighter, to us. Oh, and probably with Wi-Fi.

As you can see, the UX has massively flared fenders (which add an off-road vibe), a raked roofline and huge wheels. Pretty concepty, in other words. Like the NX SUV, which debuted as a concept then went into production largely unchanged, the UX has a lot of angles and curves. Like the NX, it will probably be divisive at first but a strong entry in the crossover segment if it makes it to production (we think it will). Lexus only released this rear three-quarters shot, so we'll have to wait to see what the front looks like. We'd expect Lexus' spindle grille and some snazzy LED lights.

Inside, the UX "showcases imaginative technologies for an immersive driver experience, while the interior marries traditional craftsmanship with high-tech manufacturing techniques," Lexus says. Translation: It will be really digital inside with some wood, carbon-fiber, or fancy plastic trim. It debuts Sept. 29 in Paris.

Delphin Vacuum Cleaner Review

Okay, I went to Star Vista with my friend for a meal. Then while walking past a pushcart, I was approached by a woman who passed me a free gift before speaking to me.

After telling me that they’re offering me a free non-obligatory demo service for their services, she proceeded to ask me to fill in my details on a form purely for contact purposes.

I filled it in but was surprised why I needed to fill in my nric no, which to me is pretty private. Anyway she was really smart, she actually purposely called me on the spot to verify that I had given her my real hp no. She then proceeded to force me to fix a date for the demo guy to come to my house in a very nice way.

After verifying and such, she left me alone. Anyway, I was told that it was a non-obligatory free demo that is only supposed to last between 45-60mins and it was for a cleaning service that their company provides.

At the appointed time, this very friendly and nice guy arrived very punctually at my doorstep. He was carrying a backpack and a big trolley bag. The documents and stuffs were in his backpack while the whole Delphin vacuum cleaner was in the big trolley bag.

He proceeded to the room I showed him to and proceeded to explain about the functions of the machine, how it works, coupled with a bit of demonstrations. He exhibited the air purifying function, complete with a demo using dettol and aromatherapy oils using the machine.

Thereafter he started to talk about the cleaning functions, especially dust mite stuffs and how the machine can help us purify the air, how it can be used to clean the mattresses, sofas and curtains etc and of course about its vacuuming function.

So in all, the demo only included a 2 mins demo of purifying the air and a max 5mins of cleaning one queen size mattress.

He then proceeded to tell me that there was a one time offer for first time demo. That it is now offered at only $3424 if I were to buy on the spot. Also, the usual 3 years warranty would be extended to 10 years. Upon further questioning I found out that the 10 years warranty actually meant 3 years full warranty and the 7 years are only for servicing. There would also be free gifts and perks if I were to buy the machine straight away.

I kept telling the person I needed to think it over as it was really costly and he actually proposed the instalment plan. I hated to do instalments and told him frankly I needed to consider. He told me that if I buy it after he leaves, he would not get any commission etc etc.

Anyway he kept pressurising me to buy, even to the extent of taking out the purchasing form etc. He told me the person manning the van could come up and deliver the machine straight away and that the person could bring up the machine for facilitating the credit card transaction on the spot. And all the while, he did it in a really friendly, persuasive and non-threatening but still pressurising way nonetheless.

Due to my financial condition was a bit tight, i did not bought the machine at that moment. Also, I might have been very lucky. The guy was still very nice and friendly while going off and I really appreciate that, especially after I had read about some downright scary experiences posted by other people online.

In all, I have to admit that the machine did seem impressive and seemed to work very well and and i decided to purchase it after few months because of the 'Annual Haze' came. 

Delphin Vacuum Cleaner was a good machine. Consider it when you or your family member have allergies and asthma problem.

Delphin Machine

Review from Allergy And Asthma Blogspot