The Health Department has issued an alert on Zika virus infection, now that local transmission of the infection has been confirmed in Singapore, where over 100 cases of the disease have been reported.
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The Health Ministry has confirmed that a male patient from Sabah, the first locally transmitted case of Zika virus infection in the country, died due to complications from his underlying heart condition.
Friday said Zika virus infection and its associated congenital and other neurological disorders continues to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, due to continuing geographic expansion and considerable gaps in understanding of the virus and its consequences.
“The analysis found that the virus belongs to the Asian lineage and likely evolved from the strain that was already circulating in Southeast Asia”.
So far this year, the DOH said five Zika patients have been reported in the country, four tourists and a Filipino national.
Zika, which is spread mainly by the Aedes mosquito, has been detected in 67 countries and territories including hard-hit Brazil.
It has been linked to microcephaly – a severe birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains.
He added that investigation showed that the patient has not travelled overseas recently and his infection was probably locally-transmitted – bitten by a Zika-infected Aedes mosquito.
Upon receiving the news, the Health Ministry immediately began vector control activities in areas where the patient frequented, targeting Aedes mosquito breeding sites.
Of those infected in Singapore, eleven are Malaysians, the ministry said.
The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light a year ago in Brazil, which has since confirmed more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly.
The patient’s close contacts will also be examined to determine if they have fever or other symptoms of Zika.
According to the United States Centers for Infectious Diseases and Prevention (CDC), The most common symptoms of the Zika virus, with its incubation period of two to 12 days, are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye.
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It can also cause rare adult-onset neurological problems such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which can result in paralysis and even death.
