The Health Ministry today confirmed a Malaysian woman had been infected with Zika virus after returning from Singapore last month.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam said the woman tested positive for Zika in her urine after she experienced a fever and facial rash for a week after her return from the Republic. She was then referred to the Sungai Buloh Hospital for further checkup.
MUST READ: Zika in Malaysia: 8 things you should know
The patient, a Chinese female, 58, was in Singapore to visit her daughter on Aug 19 before returning to her residence in Taman Botanik in Klang, Selangor three days later.
Her daughter, who is in Singapore, also tested positive for Zika. Her husband who travelled with her to the Republic was cleared of the infection.
Dr Subramaniam said that a well-implemented vector control against Aedes will be done in the victim's residential area.
Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) on Aug 27 have been informed of a case of Zika virus infection. The patient is a 47-year-old Malaysian woman who lives at Block 102 Aljunied Crescent and works in the Republic.
As she had not travelled to Zika-affected areas recently, she was likely to have been infected in Singapore.
The number of confirmed Zika cases in Singapore surged past 100 late Wednesday, including the first pregnant woman to be infected by the disease which can cause deformities in babies.
The United States and Britain joined Australia and Taiwan in advising pregnant women to avoid non-essential travel to the city-state, while a local health expert warned the infection rate would rise.
The Ministry of Health and the National Environment Agency said in a joint statement late Wednesday they had identified 24 new infections plus nine more detected as a result of testing previous cases, bringing the total to 115.
A pregnant woman was among those who tested positive for the virus.
Zika causes only mild symptoms for most people, such as fever and a rash, and has been detected in 58 countries particularly Brazil.
But in pregnant women, it can cause microcephaly, a deformation in which babies are born with abnormally small brains and heads.
Singapore, a densely-populated tropical island with frequent rain, has a chronic problem with dengue, which is spread by the same Aedes mosquito that transmits Zika through bites from an infected person to another human.
Travel advisories
For the past week, the United States, Australia, Taiwan, South Korea and Indonesia have warned pregnant women not to travel to Singapore.
Malaysia has asked people visiting Singapore to use repellent and cover up to avoid mosquito bites. Tens of thousands of people travel between the two nations each day, by boat, air and across two land border crossings.
Both Malaysia and neighbouring Indonesia have stepped up protective measures following the Singapore outbreak, intensifying checks on people arriving from Singapore, introducing thermal scanners and posting paramedics at airports and border checkpoints.
According to Dr S Subramaniam, the government has no plans to issue a travel advisory to Singapore in the near future as there are about 200,000 Malaysians currently working in the Republic.
"It will create further complications if a travel advisory is issued," he said.
Nuradilla Noorazam
Thu Sep 01 2016
A Malaysian woman had been infected with Zika virus after she returned from Singapore on August 19, said Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam. - File Photo
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