No trip to Singapore and the Phillipines for Malaysian students

The ban was intended to prevent the spread of Zika virus.

The Malaysian Ministry of Education has announced a temporary ban on school students to travel or educational visits to Singapore and the Philippines.

The ministry has issued a circular to all national education authorities about the ban on visits to countries affected by Zika virus.

Minister of Education, Mahdzir Khalid, said the ban was declared effective immediately, after it carried out a number of high-level meetings with the authorities.

"The circular is issued to all local education authorities, the ban on travel to Singapore and the Philippines, should be delayed for a while because of Zika in these countries," said Mahdzir.

On 1 September, the Malaysian government has reported our first case of Zika after the victim's visit to Singapore.