No Zika cases reported in Malaysia

PETALING JAYA: No Zika virus cases have been detected in Malaysia to date, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
He said lab surveillance conducted by the National Public Health Laboratory and Institute for Medical Research between June 2015 to Feb 10 tested negative for the Zika virus from 393 blood samples of suspected dengue patients.
In a statement yesterday, he said visitors coming from Zika-affected countries would be issued a Health Alert Card as a measure to control the spread of the virus.
He added that the card would explain the action that should be taken by a person who exhibited symptoms of a Zika infection.
Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry had also issued an administrative instruction to all state health departments and professional bodies representing private medical practitioners on Feb 4 to strengthen their monitoring and management procedure for the Zika virus threat.
"The latest information released by the World Health Organisation indicates that from January 2014 to Feb 5 this year, a total of 33 countries have reported cases of the Zika infection," he said.
Noor Hisham advised the public to practice preventive measures, such as ensuring their surroundings are clean and eradicating the breeding ground of Aedes mosquitoes.
He said those showing symptoms and signs of the Zika infection such as fever, body ache, rashes and conjunctivitis seven days after returning from Zika-affected countries should seek treatment as soon as possible.
For further enquiries on the Zika virus, the public can contact the ministry's Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre at 03-88810700.