Malaysia has confirmed its first case of zika virus infection in a 58-year-old woman who travelled to Singapore from August 19 to August 21. The woman, who is from Klang, was admitted to the Sungei Buluh government hospital.
She tested positive for zika after she suffered a rash and fever for a week following her return from Singapore. Her daughter, who works in Singapore and lives in Paya Lebar, has also been infected.
The woman’s husband and relatives who live with her has yet to show any symptoms of the infection, however, she had visited several areas in Klang and Kuala Lumpur since her return from Singapore.
The Malaysian Ministry of Health has already begun vector control activities, such as thermal fogging, in the residential areas and other places the woman has visited.
Singapore has confirmed 115 cases of the mosquito-borne disease, five of whom are Malaysians residing and working there.
Zika is transmitted through the bite of infected female mosquitoes, and as of now, there is no treatment or vaccine for zika infections.
The virus, which can be transmitted through sexual contact, can cause birth defect microcephaly (unusually small heads) and other severe brain abnormalities in babies. It could also cause a neurological disorder that can result in paralysis.
