Singapore Confirms 41 Cases of Locally Transmitted Zika Virus
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Version 0 of 1. SINGAPORE — Singapore has confirmed 41 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus, mostly among foreign construction workers, and said it expected more cases to be identified. All but seven of those infected have fully recovered, the Health Ministry and the National Environment Agency said in a joint statement on Sunday. Those seven remained hospitalized. On Saturday, the authorities confirmed Singapore’s first locally transmitted case of the virus in a 47-year-old Malaysian woman living in the southeastern part of the city-state. In Brazil, Zika has been linked to a rare birth defect. The authorities said they had tested 124 people, primarily foreign construction workers employed on a site in the same part of Singapore. Work at the site was ordered halted, and workers’ dormitories were being inspected. Seventy-eight people tested negative, and five cases were pending. Thirty-four patients have fully recovered. Four Singaporean men developed symptoms of the virus in the past week and were hospitalized on Saturday. It was not clear where the foreign workers were from or when their cases were detected. Singapore hosts a large contingent of workers from elsewhere in Asia. None of those infected had traveled recently to Zika-affected areas. “This confirms that local transmission of Zika virus infection has taken place,” the statement said. |