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Three women, aged 24, 26, and 32, and a 44-year-old man were suspected to be infected by the Zika virus. The suspects had been sent to Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital by TJ Medical and Surgery clinic at Blk 48 on Monday (29 August).
TJ Medical and Surgery clinic at Blk 48 is located just across the street of Sims Drive Medical Clinic where the first case of locally transmitted Zika infection in Singapore was found. All of the suspect cases are Singaporeans, and none of the women was pregnant.
Dr Tan Thai Keng of TJ Medical and Surgery told The Straits Times that the suspects were sent away due to the fever, rashes, and a bit of joint pain that they suffered. Those were the symptoms of the viral infection.
They had come to the clinic before. However, due to the alert of the outbreak disease, the clinic was more alert to the potential case. "Today we are on the lookout. That's why I wanted to send them to Tan Tock Seng to do their blood tests straightaway," he said.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 41 cases of locally-transmitted Zika in a joint press conference on Sunday with the National Environment Agency (NEA). All of 41 are residents or workers in the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive area. They include 36 foreign construction workers.
MOH shared that the 41 confirmed cases are part of the testing of 124 people (of which are 118 construction workers) who have been tested on 27 August.
There has been no announcement of additional confirmed cases by MOH so far.