Singapore has had its first case of locally transmitted infection of the Zika virus, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint statement today (Aug 27).
The patient is a 47-year-old Malaysian woman who lives at Block 102, Aljunied Crescent, which is not in in an active dengue cluster but near two active ones.
She was tested positive for Zika today, two days after she started to develop fever, rash and conjunctivitis.
She is currently well and recovering, and is in hospital for observation at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC).
The patient, who works in Singapore, had not travelled to Zika-affected areas recently, hence she was likely to have been infected in Singapore.
The MOH is currently screening her close contacts including household members.
Three people – two in a family who live in Aljunied Crescent and an individual who works in the area – have also preliminarily tested positive for Zika based on their urine samples.
They are pending further confirmation tests, the MOH and NEA said.
They added: “With the presence of Zika in our region and the volume of travel by Singaporeans as well as tourists, it is inevitable that there will be imported cases of Zika into Singapore. There is also risk of subsequent local transmission, as the Aedes mosquito vector is present here.”
While precautionary measures have been stepped up, the authorities warned of more cases as most infected persons may display mild or no symptoms.
Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said: “The MOH and NEA are working together to carry out vector control and testing of residents in that area with fever and rashes so as to reduce the risk of further spread. I encourage those who are unwell and with these symptoms to visit their doctors for medical attention. We have also alerted our clinics in the area to look out for suspect cases and refer them to the CDC for testing.”
For now, all suspect cases of Zika virus infection will be isolated while awaiting confirmation of the blood test results.
huizhen@sph.com.sg
Reuters
