Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the latest patient is the husband to the 27-year-old pregnant woman in Johor Bahru, who was earlier this week confirmed to be the first pregnant woman in Malaysia to be infected.
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Singapore is at the centre of the largest single outbreak of the disease in Asia, with the number of cases in the city-state rising to 275 this week, according to an update on Tuesday.
But pregnant women who catch it can give birth to babies with microcephaly, a deformation marked by abnormally small brains and heads. She is believed to have been infected by her husband, who commutes daily to and from his work in Singapore.
On Wednesday, Malaysia reported its first case of a pregnant woman with Zika – a resident of Johor.
“We have to presume there will be more cases, particularly in Johor Baru because of the close proximity to Singapore, where there are some new cases emerging from time to time”, said the minister.
Zika is spread primarily through a mosquito’s bite and may also be sexually transmitted by a person who has been infected with Zika.
The warning is issued after three cases of Zika virus has been officially confirmed by Malaysian authorities.
Dr Subramaniam said even though there was no travel ban issued, Malaysians wishing to visit the two countries were advised to be cautious especially when experiencing infection symptoms such as fever. “And the only way to avoid increasing in numbers of cases is by self-protection and in the control of breeding sites of Aedes mosquito”, the minister said. The outbreak of Zika remains an worldwide health emergency, the Who says.
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Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid had said on Saturday that all schools had been directed not to conduct visits to Singapore and the Philippines for the time being to prevent the spread of the Zika virus. The man died from underlying heart-related complications, and his death was not directly related to Zika.
