Malaysia reports first suspected Zika case

SINGAPORE - Malaysia on Thursday reported its first suspected case of Zika, a 58-year-old woman believed to have contracted it in neighboring 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 labor, 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 centered on the "ground zero" of the outbreak in the eastern suburb of Aljunied.

They have also turned efforts to three other areas beyond the original cluster, sending teams of inspectors round homes fumigating and checking for breeding sites.

Indonesia and Malaysia have intensified monitoring of border points for passengers arriving from Singapore, while Indonesian health official Muhammad Subuh said those arriving from the city will be given a card telling them to report to hospitals if they show Zika symptoms within 10 days of arrival.

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.

The United States and Britain have joined Australia and Taiwan in advising pregnant women to avoid non-essential travel to Singapore, while a local health expert has warned the infection rate would rise.

Despite the rise in Zika cases, a spokesman for the Singapore Grand Prix told AFP Wednesday the Formula One race will go on as scheduled from September 16-18.

source: interaksyon.com

Hong Kong confirms first Zika case

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong has confirmed its first case of Zika, putting the Asian financial center on high alert for any spread of the mosquito-borne virus that has wreaked havoc in Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond.

At a media conference late on Thursday, Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Leung Ting-hung, said relevant measures had been taken to prevent the virus from spreading further.

He said the government's priority was controlling the mosquito population in Hong Kong.

"The patient is a 38-year-old woman with good past health. She has developed joint pain and red eyes since August 20," the department of health said in a statement.

It said it would report the case to the World Health Organization.

In February, a mainland Chinese man who flew into Hong Kong was diagnosed as having the Zika virus, according to local broadcaster RTHK, citing officials as saying there was little chance he could have caused an outbreak during his brief stay.

Zika was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly in Brazil.

source: interaksyon.com

2nd Korean Zika case reported

MANILA - South Korea has recorded its second case of Zika virus infection, involving a man who had a history of travel to the Philippines.

News agency Xinhua reported that the 20-year-old man claimed to have been bitten by mosquitoes while staying in the Philippines for five days through April 14.

The man developed symptoms of flu on April 20, and started manifesting rashes two days later.

It was the second  Zika case in South Korea since a 43-year-old man was diagnosed with the virus on March 22.

Department of Health Secretary Janette Garin said the new case has been confirmed by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

Garin said the patient is well and not in the Philippines anymore.

She added that those who came in contact with him in the country were not manifesting symptoms.

In March, a woman was diagnosed with Zika virus in the United States after having traveled to the Philippines.

source: interaksyon.com

Zika outbreak will worsen before it gets better - WHO head

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The head of the World Health Organization warned Wednesday that the Zika outbreak would likely worsen before nations besieged by the mosquito-borne virus linked to thousands of birth defects in Brazil see relief.

Director General Margaret Chan made the comments at the end of her two-day visit to Brazil, the country at the epicenter of the Zika crisis.

"Things may get worse before they get better," Chan said at a news conference in Rio de Janeiro. "Don't be surprised to see microcephaly reported in other parts of Brazil."

As yet, Brazil's Zika outbreak has been concentrated in the northeastern part of the nation.

Much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus actually causes microcephaly, a condition marked by unusually small heads that can result in developmental problems. Chan underscored that scientists are still working to determine causality between the virus and the birth defect.

Brazil said this week it has confirmed more than 580 cases of microcephaly, and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil is investigating more than 4,100 additional suspected cases of microcephaly.

After Brazil, Colombia has been hardest hit by Zika infections with the country's health officials reporting on Wednesday a probable case of microcephaly possibly linked to Zika in an aborted fetus.

Colombia has reported more than 37,000 cases of Zika including 6,356 in pregnant women but has yet to have a confirmed microcephaly case linked to the virus. At least 34 countries, mostly in the Americas, have active Zika outbreaks and the virus is expected to spread.

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international health emergency on February 1, citing a "strongly suspected" relationship between Zika infection in pregnancy and microcephaly.

Scientists are also studying a potential link between Zika infection and Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological disorder that can weaken the muscles and cause paralysis.

source: interaksyon.com