A patient boards an ambulance for the CDC. Photo: Sharlene Maria Sankaran

At least five more people suspected of being infected with the Zika virus have been sent to the Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC) for tests.

The quintet went to Sims Drive Medical Clinic on Monday (29 August), where they were advised to go for further tests at the CDC, in accordance with protocols established by the Health Ministry (MOH).

Of the five, one is an 18-year-old Institute of Technical Education student who fell ill on Friday (26 August) with a fever and rashes. Her father, a 51-year-old security guard who accompanied her to the clinic, told Yahoo Singapore that her fever had gone down.

“I saw the news and realised that it might be Zika, so we came to see the doctor again,” he said, adding that both he and his other daughter both fell sick this month but had recovered.

The father of four added, “I’m worried, and scared that it will spread to my family. It’s surprising that this area got Zika. Singapore is a very clean environment, and suddenly we have this Zika. Some more people got infected here.”

The 18-year-old student remained composed and calm. “I think the government is concerned about citizens, and they don’t want the virus to spread. Nobody wants to get sick,” she said.

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A patient shows reporters the rashes on her arms. Photo: Sharlene Maria Sankaran

Of the other patients, three work in the construction industry. Two of them spoke with a mainland China accent and declined comment. The final patient is a middle-aged woman who had prominent rashes on her arms.

By press time, MOH had not responded to Yahoo Singapore’s queries on how many more patients had been sent for Zika testing.

On Sunday, MOH announced 41 confirmed cases of locally-transmitted Zika among residents or workers in the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive area.

The 41 cases were detected following tests conducted on Saturday (27 August), which included testing on 118 construction workers. The Ministry of Health (MOH) has said that it is unable to rule out further transmission of the virus in Singapore.

Sims Drive Medical Clinic is where doctors treated a Malaysian woman, who was later confirmed to be the first case of locally transmitted Zika infection.