Two sisters test positive for Zika

PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry has confirmed reports of a fifth and sixth Zika case involving a pair of sisters, one of whom is two months pregnant.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam said the fifth victim, a 35-year-old woman who is two months pregnant, had gone to a private clinic on Sept 6 after complaining of prolonged fever, flu, and sore throat.

"A test conducted by a private lab in Kuala Lumpur showed that the patient tested positive for Zika. She was admitted to the Miri Hospital on Sept 11 for further tests," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Dr Subramaniam said the patient had previously worked in Singapore and last visited the island from July 24-29.

Meanwhile, the Ministry also confirmed that the sixth victim, a 39-year-old woman who lives in Kuala Lumpur, is the sister to the fifth patient.

"The sixth case is a contact and sister to the fifth case. She is a 39-year-old woman who lives in Setapak and was admitted to a hospital in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 11. The patient began developing rashes on Sept 6," Dr Subramaniam said.

The Ministry confirmed that both women had come into recent contact with each other as the latter had visited her sister in Miri on Aug 26 and returned to Kuala Lumpur on Sept 6.

Dr Subramaniam added that vector control activities continued to be carried out in the residential areas of the six patients who had so far tested positive for the virus.