Department of Health (DOH) spokesman Dr. Eric Tayag revealed, during a media briefing, that a 45-year-old married woman from Iloilo was infected with Zika pathogen.
Considering that she has no history of travel, Health Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo declared that the latest victim could have been infected locally.
The woman has sought treatment in a health facility in Western Visayas after developing rashes last month. When her urine was analyzed, it has proven to be positive for the Zika microbe.
The sample collected from the patient has been re-tested in the country and abroad before confirmation for Zika presence was announced. Her husband is also undergoing the testing process.
The first Zika incident in the Philippines has been reported back in 2012 when a 15-year old boy in Cebu got infected. Four subsequent cases, including an American and a couple of South Koreans, have been documented separately.
Bayugo observed that although a locally-infected mosquito could have bitten the latest patient, it is likely that the infection will not be transmitted to others as what happened to the teenager from Cebu.
He added that the DOH is hopeful that no other people will be blighted. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial has reported that the DOH had conducted 126 tests on symptomatic patients since January this year. No positive result has been yielded so far. On Friday, the 86 suspected cases has tested negative. She has also stated that symptomatic people who are visiting the Philippines are being checked.
Related developments showed that 240 Zika incidents have been reported in Singapore. Its health ministry has claimed that they would no longer isolate people who test positive of the virus.
