Zika: Johor health dept told to step up surveillance

KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Baru Health Department has been asked to increase surveillance at the country's entry points in the state as a precautionary measure following the Zika virus case reported in Singapore last Friday.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said as a preventive measure, cooperation had also been stepped up with the Indonesian and Thai authorities to share information about the spread of the virus.

"However, Malaysia still free and safe from the Zika virus," he told a press conference in conjunction with World Health Day and Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya-level Nutrition Month, here Sunday.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) of Singapore on Friday announced that the republic became the second country in Southeast Asia after Vietnam reported its first case of the Zika virus.

The victim was a 48-year-old man, a Singapore permanent resident who had travelled to Sao Paulo, Brazil from March 27 to May 7, 2016. 
Dr Hilmi said as the Zika virus is spread by the Aedes Egypti mosquito which is the same vector for dengue fever, prevention efforts need to be taken since the mosquitoes already exist in this country.

"Referring to the health ministry's statistics, dengue cases which are carried by the Aedes mosquito, decreased from 3,500 cases in the first week of this year to only 1,500 cases last week.

"The decline was helped by the El Nino phenomenon which swept the country, causing the breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes to be affected," he said. - Bernama