The following information is supplied courtesy of Dr. Shane Ryan and the Companion Animal Surgery.
Singapore has a monsoonal equatorial climate with constant heat and humidity. In such a climate, flora and fauna thrive, and many of these may prove harmful to domestic animals. For example, wind-pollinating grasses, trees and weeds grow year round, and an animal suffering from seasonal inhalant or contact allergies elsewhere may develop persistent respiratory or skin complaints. Similarly, many parasites - both internal and external - find the climate amenable, &/or their transport vectors or intermediate hosts abound.
There are however exceptions. Fleas are a relatively uncommon problem in Singapore, partially due to the high ambient temperatures and humidity, and also because most homes have solid flooring, & not carpets. Heartworm is less prevalent than would be expected as extensive mosquito-breeding prevention measures are in place to minimise human exposure to dengue fever and malaria. Although the following list is far from exhaustive, it includes many of the common parasitic diseases encountered in Singapore. Some of these may be familiar, others exotic. Many are preventable by veterinary or husbandry means. Seeking veterinary advice and a "pre-export" examination could help reduce your pet's exposure.
Links for specific diseases/parasites may be found on the appropriate pages. For general information try:
Karolinska Institute Library- Parasitic Diseases - a comprehensive collection of links for internal and external parasites of humans and animals
Consultant Cornell University - an excellent site. It has a program that searches on clinical signs for specific disease states / differential diagnoses. A reference list is included at the end of each search.
PubMed (Medline) - search over 9 million scientific documents held by the National Library of Medicine. For more serious research.
