First Zika case reported in Singapore since 2020 amid surge in dengue cases
Singapore had a new Zika case during the week of Aug 21 to 27, along with 666 dengue cases.
This is the first Zika case here since March 2020, according to the weekly infectious diseases bulletin published by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Aug 31.
Zika is a virus infection transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. The insect is also a carrier of the dengue and chikungunya viruses.
The Zika case comes amid a surge in dengue infections this year. Since the start of the year, 25,591 dengue cases have been recorded, compared with 5,258 cases reported for the whole of 2021.
In 2016, MOH confirmed the localised community spread of Zika virus infection in Singapore. In that year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Zika outbreak a public health emergency.
Symptoms include fever, an itchy rash, body aches, headache, red eyes and occasionally nausea and vomiting.
These usually develop within three to 12 days after the mosquito bite and often lasts between four and seven days.
The National Environment Agency said on its website that there was no active Zika cluster in Singapore as of Friday.
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