41 locally transferred Zika cases reported in Singapore

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday announced that the number of people in the city state infected by locally transferred Zika virus has increased to 41.

The MOH said of the 41 cases, 34 people have fully recovered while the other seven, who were still showing symptoms and potentially infectious, are recovering at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Xinhua news agency reported.

The confirmation came a day after MOH and National Environment Agency (NEA) announced that a 47-year-old Malaysian woman was Singapore's first reported case of locally transmitted Zika.

Except the first reported case, 36 people who were infected with Zika virus were foreign workers working at a construction site. Others include four Singaporean men aged between 21 and 65.

Besides Singapore, 57 other countries have reported cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection.

In May, a 48-year-old male Singapore permanent resident returning from Brazil, where Zika is rife, was the first known Zika case here.