Manila: A Filipino woman from Iloilo has been tested positive for Zika virus, a health official said. However, there have been no signs of local transmission of the mosquito-borne disease, he said.
Health Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo said on Monday that the 45-year-old Filipina was already infected with the virus when she arrived in the Philippines.
“She has tested positive while abroad,” Bayugo said.
Hers will be the sixth known Zika case in the Philippines. All eventually survived thanks to timely medical intervention.
Bayugo said the Department of Health is confident that doctors in Iloilo are capable of handling the case.
“In so far as the DOH is concerned, we have no evidence that there is a local transmission,” he said.
Zika is highly contagious. Aside from bites from carrier mosquitos, the virus can also be transmitted through sex with an infected person.
Bayugo said the woman’s husband is yet to undergo testing to determine if he has been infected with the virus.
Earlier, Health Secretary Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial said Filipinos as well as foreigners who plan to enter the country should be mindful of the possibility that they could bring in the mosquito-borne virus, especially if they are from Zika-affected countries with local transmission.
“Arriving passengers are reminded to fill out a health declaration checklist upon arrival and to report or visit any government health facility if they become ill with unexplained fever within seven days from arrival,” Rosell-Ubial said.
