6th Zika case confirmed in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed that a woman from Iloilo City tested positive for the Zika virus, the sixth case recorded in the country.

DOH Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo said that the 45-year-old victim, whose identity has been withheld, has no record of travel to countries where the virus has been detected.

Bayugo, however, clarified that there is still no confirmation of local transmission of the virus in the Philippines.

"As far as what we (DOH) have now, wala pa kaming evidence na merong transmission locally of this case that has been surfacing," Bayugo told reporters in a media briefing at the Philippine Information Agency on Monday.

The woman's spouse has yet to be tested if he too has acquired the infection since the virus can be transmitted through sexual contact, Bayugo said.

Bayugo said the department has been monitoring only sporadic cases of the infection in the country. Five other cases have been detected since 2012.

"These [previous cases] did not convert into an outbreak. And we hope that this one sporadic case will not translate [into something bigger] similar to what is being experienced elsewhere," said Bayugo.

He then expressed alarm that neighboring country Singapore has 26 cases of the virus, and added that all efforts were being done to monitor overseas Filipino workers and foreigners coming from Zika-identified countries.

The reported 24 out of the 26 in Singapore was identified as a locally-transmitted case, and likely evolved from the Southeast Asian region.

Moments earlier, Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said the Philippines remains Zika-free, adding that there have been no reported locally-transmitted Zika case so far.

Ubial reported that the DOH had conducted tests for 126 symptomatic patients since January. The DOH reported 86 suspected cases only last Friday. All tested negative of the Zika virus, she said. — PNA / Ma. Katrina Hallare with reports from STAR / Christina Mandez