Zika patient transferred to CDC at Tan Tock Seng Hospital this morning
SINGAPORE - The Republic's first Zika patient is recovering well, and has been transferred to the Communicable Diseases Centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Saturday (May 14).
The 48-year-old Permanent Resident could take about five days to recover, though recovery periods have been known to vary. The patient will only be discharged when there are no traces of the virus in his blood. The authorities will also be contacting his family members daily to monitor their health.
MOH said the man did not show symptoms until after he returned home from Brazil, where he had stayed from March 27 to May 7 this year.
Since returning to Singapore, he has had limited contact with people outside his home in Watten Estate, off Dunearn Road. He did not go to work in the interim, and did not spend a substantial amount of time outside his residence.
And upon showing symptoms of fever and rash on May 10, the man drove himself to Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital. He was admitted, placed under isolation, and tested positive for Zika on May 13.
The Zika virus is spread mainly through Aedes mosquito bites and is not air-borne. Those who have travelled to areas with local transmission are advised to limit transmission by protecting themselves from mosquito bites.
Meanwhile, intensified vector operations began in earnest at Watten Estate and its vicinity on Saturday morning, with officers seen carrying out fumigation in the area. About 800 households will be covered in the control operations by the National Environment Agency.
