‘Sabah folk may be born with antibodies to fight Zika’

Participants, lecturers and guests at the public forum on the Zika virus at Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

KOTA KINABALU: People in Sabah may have inborn antibodies to fight against the Zika virus since it is said to be endemic here.

An academic from Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s (UMS) Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty said the Zika virus has been present in primates and probably humans here as early as the 1960s.

“We know that the orang utan are among primates that carry the virus,” said molecular epidemiologist Prof Dr Kamruddin Ahmed.

However, due to deforestation and other factors which has led to greater animal-human contact, the Zika virus was spread to human beings, he said during a public forum on the virus at UMS.

“So if this is the case, then it means that most of us probably have a natural antibody against this virus,” he said, adding this means the Zika virus may not affect Sabahans the way it is affecting people in other parts of the world.

“In Brazil, many babies born of Zika-infected mothers have microcephaly (small head) syndrome,” Prof Kamruddin said, adding that the strain of the Zika virus in Malaysia and South America is different.

He also said that international scientists are hard at work to find a vaccine against the virus.

Experimental vaccines are reportedly being developed by researchers in the United States.

Prof Kamruddin advised people to be careful but not panic and to take precautionary measures.

“There are still many unanswered questions at the moment so it is best to be cautious,” he said.

A public health medicine consultant from the Kota Kinabalu Health Office Dr Jiloris@Julian Dony, urged the public to fix mosquito nets, wear light and long-sleeved shirts and pants, as well as spray repellents on themselves to avoid being bitten.

“Everyone has a part to play in keeping their surroundings clean and ensuring there are no mosquito breeding grounds,” he said.