DOH: Sokor’s Zika patient visited PH, but we’ll check if he got virus here

MANILA — Health Secretary Janette Garin said, on Thursday, that a 20-year-old Korean man with a history of travel to the Philippines was confirmed to be positive for Zika virus but her agency, the Department of Health, would still verify if indeed, the patient contracted the virus in the country.

“The patient is well,” Garin said in a text message to reporters.

She added that the patient has gone back to South Korea.

“No other symptomatic contact detected as of now,” Garin said, adding that they were still gathering data, as of Thursday, to determine if indeed the patient got the disease while he was staying in the Philippines.

The Korea Herald, a member of the Asia News Network to which the INQUIRER also belongs, has reported that South Korea’s health authorities confirmed the nation’s second Zika virus case Wednesday night.  The patient was identified as a 20-year-old man who lives in Nowon-gu, Seoul.

READ: South Korea’s second Zika case confirmed after man’s trip to PH

Health Secretary Janette Garin. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

South Korea’s health ministry said the patient visited the Philippines from April 10-14, where infected mosquitoes bit him. “He was asymptomatic until April 20, when he developed mild, cold-like symptoms including fever. He visited a local clinic in Seoul’s district that day, but his doctor did not see him as a potential Zika virus patient,” the Korea Herald reported.

“He visited a general hospital on April 23, as he started experiencing skin rashes. Medical staff at the hospital reported him as a suspected Zika virus patient the same day. His test results, which became available Wednesday, turned out to be positive. He is currently in a stable condition and has been hospitalized for more examinations. State epidemiologists are also investigating the case,” the news report said. SFM