As a precautionary measure, Singapore is offering free Zika testing to expectant mothers, especially those who develop fever and rash and other possible signs of the infection. He later clarified that the child was in fact an adult daughter who is working in Singapore and has not returned to Malaysia.
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“Due to the rapid spread of the Zika virus infection, Aedes monitoring and preventive activities are continuously performed and intensified in all states, especially in the state of Johor and Selangor”, he said. The woman recently visited her daughter in Singapore, The Star reports. She began to exhibit symptoms of rash on August 28 and was tested positive on August 30, according to a press release from the ministry.
Malaysia’s first case of Zika virus has been diagnosed in a woman who had travelled to Singapore.
Kota Kinabalu: Api-Api Assemblywoman Chrisitna Liew urged the relevant authorities such as the State Health Department and City Hall (DBKK) to step up public awareness campaign against the Zika virus. However, the patient’s blood test result is still pending.
The first Zika infection in Singapore was announced in May. Her husband who travelled with her to the Republic was cleared of the infection.
The city-state has in recent days waged war on mosquitoes, with teams of NEA inspectors visiting homes to check for mosquito breeding sites while pest controllers have saturated affected estates with insecticide.
While regional strains of the virus have always been endemic to Southeast Asia and are not linked to the birth defects being reported in South America, the ministry advised that anyone suffering from symptoms – which are similar to dengue, including fever and rashes – should get a blood test.
More than 40 people have been infected locally by the Zika virus in Singapore, but most have fully recovered, officials say.
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Subramaniam said on Thursday that a total of five Malaysians have so far been identified as having tested positive for Zika in Singapore. “Hence, it is very important to clean the surroundings in order to prevent the multiplication of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that serve as vectors of the said virus”, the Health Chief explained.
