Malaysia reports first suspected Zika case

Singapore / AFP

Malaysia on Thursday reported its first suspected case of Zika, a 58-year-old woman believed to have contracted it in neighbouring Singapore where more than 100 cases have been confirmed.
The Malaysian woman had made a brief trip in late August to visit her daughter, who has already been confirmed as having the Zika virus, Malaysia’s health ministry said in a statement.
After returning to her home near Kuala Lumpur, the woman fell ill and was diagnosed with “suspected” Zika, based on a urine test. Full confirmation via blood tests is pending.
“The source of infection is suspected to have occurred in Singapore,” the statement said.
The Aedes mosquito-borne Zika, which has been detected in 67 countries and territories including hard-hit Brazil, causes only mild symptoms for most people such as fever and a rash.
But pregnant women who catch it can give birth to babies with microcephaly, a deformation marked by abnormally small brains and heads.
Singapore authorities say 115 people have now tested positive for the virus, including a pregnant woman and 57 foreigners living and working in the city-state. Singapore depends heavily on foreign labour, and industries like construction and the marine sector are dominated by workers from China and South Asia.
Among the foreigners infected, 23 are from China, 15 are from India and 10 from Bangladesh, the health ministry said Thursday. The rest are from Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia and Taiwan.
“All had mild illness. Most have recovered while the rest are recovering well,” the ministry said in a statement.
The city-state’s environment agency workers have been ramping up efforts to eradicate mosquitoes in a bid to curb the spread of the disease, expanding a fumigation campaign centred on the “ground zero” of the outbreak in the eastern suburb of Aljunied.