Zika patient makes full recovery, has been discharged

SINGAPORE — The first Zika patient in Singapore is well and has made a full recovery, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) on Tuesday (May 17). 

The 48-year-old man, who was diagnosed last Friday (May 13), was discharged from the Communicable Diseases Centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital on Tuesday afternoon. "Tests done by the National Public Health Laboratory on his blood samples have confirmed that he is negative for the Zika virus. This means that he will not transmit the virus even if he was bitten by an Aedes mosquito," said the MOH and NEA in a joint statement.

His family members have not reported any symptoms of Zika, said the MOH and NEA.

The patient, a Singapore permanent resident had travelled to Sao Paulo from March 27 to May 7. He developed fever and a rash last Tuesday, and was admitted to Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital two days later, where he was isolated. The MOH and NEA were notified on the same day he tested positive for the Zika virus and an announcement about Singapore's first imported case of the Zika virus was made.

The MOH and NEA advised residents in the Watten Estate area, where the patient lives, to continue to monitor their health and seek medical attention if unwell, especially if they develop symptoms such as fever and rash. They should also inform their doctors of the location of their residence.

Zika, like dengue, is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Zika causes a viral fever with skin rashes, body aches and headache.