On Friday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) reported Singapore's first case of Zika virus.
According to their statement, the infected patient is a 48 year-old male Singaporean permanent resident who travelled to Sao Paulo, Brazil from 27 March to 7 May. He developed fever and rash on 10 May and was admitted to Mt Elizabeth Novena on 12 May, where he was diagnosed with the epidemic and deadly virus. He was transferred to the Communicable Diseases Centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital for quarantine and further treatment. He will only be discharged once his system is free of the virus.
MOH is screening the patient's household members. It added that the infected patient's address at Watten Estate is not an active cluster.
MOH and NEA have warned residents to be aware of their health and report to a doctor if they develop a fever and rash. "We advise residents of Watten Estate, Casa Perla, Hillcrest Arcadia, The Arcadia and Watten Hill Condominium to monitor their health."
Minister for Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli wrote on his Facebook page: "We need to work together as a community to minimise the risk of any spread of Zika in Singapore and take immediate steps to prevent mosquito breeding in our homes by doing the 5-step Mozzie Wipeout every alternate day, and protect ourselves from mosquito bites by applying insect repellent regularly.
"The patient is currently well and recovering and will be discharged when tested negative for the Zika virus. I wish him a speedy recovery."
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