KOTA KINABALU: More studies are needed to determine the status of the Zika virus infection, which resembles dengue.
A United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report said a woman from Germany had possibly contracted the disease in Keningau, Sabah, two years ago.
This was revealed by Universiti Malaysia Sabah Entomologist Associate Professor Dr Chua Tock Hing in a talk organised by Jesselton Medical Centre here on Saturday to increase awareness among the public on tackling the rise in dengue cases.
However, Chua said despite the finding, dengue was the main concern in Sabah.
“The dengue and Zika viruses are carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Here, dengue is more commonly found.”
But he said there was a need for more studies on the Zika virus.
Chua, an expert on mosquitoes, was referring to a CDC report, “Emerging Infectious Diseases” Volume 21 — Number 5, May 2015.
The report said the 45-year-old woman from Heidelberg, Germany, fell ill six days after her return from a three-week vacation in Malaysia in August 2014. She developed high fever, rashes, hearing difficulties, swelling and burning sensation on her hands, but recovered after three days of treatment.
The report also cited a study by Marchette NJ, Garcia R and Rudrick A on isolation of Zika virus from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Malaysia, which shows that antibodies against Zika virus were detected in 15 out of 79 people in Peninsular Malaysia and nine out of 50 in Sabah in 1969.
The World Health Organisation recently issued an advisory for pregnant women against travelling to countries with Zika virus cases to prevent birth defects to newborns.
Meanwhile, infectious diseases specialist Dr Timothy William urged the people to seek immediate medical attention to prevent complications due to dengue fever.
“Patients can be closely monitored, especially during critical phases, if they are hospitalised. Two in 1,000 patients died from complications, such as organ failure and shock (profuse internal bleeding).”