14 Zika cases detected in May, after just a single case in first four months of 2023
The number of Zika cases found in Singapore in 2023 has shot up to 15 after 14 cases were detected in May alone. The only other case in 2023 emerged in late April.
The National Environment Agency’s (NEA) website on Tuesday showed that two cases were reported in the week of May 7 to May 13.
This rose to five cases in each of the following two weeks. Two more cases were confirmed on Monday.
A cluster in the Kovan area had grown from four cases on May 19 to 11 cases on Tuesday, accounting for most of the new cases.
Zika is a virus transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which can also carry dengue and chikungunya viruses.
Those infected with the Zika virus may experience symptoms such as fever, rash and joint pain within three to 14 days of being bitten. Most Zika patients, however, do not develop symptoms.
In 2022, two Zika cases were detected in Singapore after a lull since March 2020.
The Ministry of Health and NEA announced there was a cluster in Kovan on May 12, and advised residents, especially pregnant women, to monitor their health and seek medical attention if unwell with Zika symptoms.
Zika can cause unborn babies of pregnant women to be born with very small heads and undeveloped brains, a condition known as microcephaly.
The authorities have told doctors to be vigilant and to test for Zika among patients with clinically compatible symptoms, especially among people living or working in the Kovan area.
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