KUALA LUMPUR (TIP) 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 lives in Singapore and has already been confirmed as having the Zika virus, Malaysia’s health ministry said in a statement.
After returning to her home near the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, the 58-year-old 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.
Tropical Malaysia, which already has struggled in recent years to control the spread of Aedes-borne dengue fever, has been bracing for Zika after Singapore last weekend reported a surge in cases.
In an update on Wednesday, Singapore authorities said the number of infections there had risen to 115.