Zika: Health Ministry confirms country's fourth case, second in JB

The Health Ministry today has confirmed the country’s fourth Zika virus infection, and the second in Johor Bahru.

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.

Besides suffering a rash since Sept 2, the 25-year-old man showed no other symptoms of the infection, he said in a media statement.

Dr Noor Hisham said the man lives in Johor Bahru but commutes to Singapore for work daily.

The patient has been warded at a public hospital in Johor for further checks and treatment, he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham also said the ministry had conducted vector control at the patient's house and all other areas visited by the patient.

The measures included checking on 45 houses, larviciding at 95 premises, thermal spraying at 203 premises and ULV (ultra-low volume) spraying at 870 premises.

He said the Aedes breeding rate at these areas showed that the areas still contained the Aedes mosquito population. He added that an 'active case detection' had been carried out at the locality at the patient's home and no other person around the vicinity have been found to be suffering from any Zika symptoms.

On Sept 1, a 58-year-old woman in Bandar Botanic in Klang was reported to be the first Zika virus infection case in the country.

On Sept 3, a man in Taman Public Jaya Likas, Sabah was reported to be the first Malaysian to contract the Zika virus locally. The 61-year-old died of complications from his underlying heart disease the next day.

On Sept 7, the pregnant woman in Johor was confirmed to be Malaysia’s third Zika virus infection case.