Singapore confirms 41 Zika virus cases and warns of more to come
SINGAPORE -- The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 41 locally-transmitted Zika virus cases on Sunday, and warns that more will come.
In a press release addressing the outbreak, all of the people affected were either residents or foreign construction workers living and working in the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive area of the island state.
34 of the infected patients have fully recovered, while the remaining seven are still receiving treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
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On Saturday, a 47-year-old Malaysian woman living in Aljunied Crescent became the island state's first confirmed local Zika case. The jump in number of confirmed cases came after active testing was carried out on patients who previously showed symptoms but had no recent travel history -- and therefore were not suspected of carrying the virus.
Health minister Gan Kim Yong told reporters that following this discovery, more infection cases are expected to emerge.
In order to curb the spread of the virus, the government will focus on vector control to manage mosquito populations in the affected areas. The National Environment Agency (NEA) has since deployed 200 officers to conduct checks and inspections.
