Batam hospital said to be treating suspected Zika patient who returned from Singapore

Passengers from a ferry from Singapore walk past a poster warning of the Zika virus at the International Port of Batam Centre, Batam, Riau Islands, Indonesia. PHOTO: INDONESIA OUT

A hospital in Batam has said that it is treating a patient suspected of having contracted the Zika virus since Sunday, reported The Jakarta Post.

The Embung Fatimah Regional General Hospital (RSUD) in Batam, Riau Islands, said the 25-year-old woman was rushed to the hospital after she arrived from Singapore.

The hospital's director, Afriani, told The Jakarta Post that the patient is in an isolation ward for intensive monitoring.

"To make sure whether or not she is infected with the Zika virus, we sent her blood sample to the Health Ministry's laboratory in Jakarta. We are still waiting for the results of the laboratory test," said Afriani to the paper.

The patient apparently displayed symptoms in line with the Zika virus, such as fever and red eyes.

The Health Ministry has stepped up checks at its borders since the end of August. Passengers arriving from Singapore are screened by thermal scanners.

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