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Singapore reviewing practice of isolating potential Zika-infected patients

Xinhua, September 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) is reviewing the practice of isolating potential Zika-infected patients, a senior official said on Sunday.

MOH is considering letting suspected Zika-infected patients rest at home while their blood and urine samples are tested, Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Environment and Water Resources and Health Amy Khor Lean Suan was quoted by the Straits Times.

The ministry is also considering sending confirmed cases home to recuperate, but the infected persons are advised to take precautions to prevent themselves from getting bitten by mosquitoes, Khor revealed when she attended a community outreach event at Hong Kah North in western Singapore on Sunday morning.

The suspected of having Zika virus are currently isolated at Communicable Disease Center when they are waiting for the test results, while those found to be Zika-positive are isolated in hospitals.

Khor further explained that isolating the infected may not be effective. She added Zika-positive patients admitted to hospitals generally have very mild symptoms, and they are discharged within one to two days with negative test results.

Singapore confirmed 26 new cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection as of Saturday, according to a joint statement released by MOH and National Environment Agency (NEA). The update brought the total number of Zika infections in Singapore to 215 since the first locally transmitted case was reported on Aug. 27. Endit