Singapore reports first locally transmitted Zika case

By AFP   August 27, 2016 | 10:03 am PT
The patient had not traveled to Zika-affected areas recently.

Singapore on Saturday reported the first locally-transmitted case of the Zika virus, with three other suspect infections pending confirmation.

Authorities identified the confirmed patient as a 47-year-old Malaysian woman residing in the city-state.

"As she had not traveled to Zika-affected areas recently, she was likely to have been infected in Singapore," the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency said in a joint statement late Saturday.

The woman developed fever, rash and conjunctivitis on Thursday and tested positive for the virus two days later at a local hospital, where she has since been under observation, the statement said.

"The patient is currently well and recovering," it added.

The health ministry is screening the woman's close contacts and is carrying out tests on other people living and working in the area exhibiting symptoms of fever and rash.

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