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A victim’s story: How mystery illness turned out to be Zika

SINGAPORE — He broke out in rashes two days after coming down with a slight fever, but after three blood tests and a urine test at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) last Thursday, he was cleared to go home.

Mr Mohammed Firdaus Lim (left) was one of the 40 patients who was confirmed to have the Zika virus. Photo: Robin Choo

Mr Mohammed Firdaus Lim (left) was one of the 40 patients who was confirmed to have the Zika virus. Photo: Robin Choo

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SINGAPORE — He broke out in rashes two days after coming down with a slight fever, but after three blood tests and a urine test at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) last Thursday, he was cleared to go home.

Then two days later, the 44-year-old man, who lives at Block 54 on Sims Drive, was told he may have caught the Zika virus and would have to go back to the hospital’s emergency department for further tests. He tested positive for the virus and was transferred to the Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC).

At that moment, his 55-year-old wife, Madam Ratnawati Mohd Yusoff, had two questions on her mind: What is Zika and how did her husband get it?

Mr Mohammed Firdaus Lim was one of the 40 patients who was confirmed to have the Zika virus by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday.

He is a stroke patient unable to move on his own and had not gone out two weeks before his fever.

After he was first cleared to go home from TTSH last Thursday, he and his wife went to Hougang, Upper Serangoon Crescent and Balestier over the next two days to run errands.

Madam Ratnawati also wondered why the hospital did not detect the virus during the first round of tests. “They already have other patients with Zika, they should know about it and should have been able to detect it earlier,” she said.

During her husband’s first visit to TTSH, a urine test showed signs of an infection, but she claimed that the doctor pointed to Mr Firdaus’ existing stroke condition and diabetes as possible causes for the infection.

After Mr Firdaus was confirmed to have contracted Zika, Madam Ratnawati was especially worried because of his medical conditions — he had suffered brain damage as a result of two strokes in 2012 and 2013. “Then you add Zika in the picture ... who do you think is the one in pain?”

Thankfully, Mr Firdaus recovered while at the CDC and was discharged yesterday. Doctors told Madam Ratnawati to try and keep the home environment clean and to use mosquito-repellent patches.

On Sunday night, officers from the National Environment Agency (NEA) found no mosquitoes breeding in their home after a check, and fogging was reportedly done outside their flat yesterday.

The Zika virus is spread by the Aedes mosquito, which also transmits dengue.

The MOH and the NEA said that the majority of Zika patients exhibit no symptoms or only mild ones.

If there are symptoms, such as fever, rashes, headache, joint and muscle aches, and conjunctivitis (red eyes), they usually develop within three to 12 days, and last between four and seven days.

Isolation of positive cases may have limited effect in managing the spread, the authorities said. There is no known vaccine or specific treatment against the virus, and treatment is directed at alleviating the symptoms, the MOH said on its website.

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