Country’s first Zika victim fully recovered, says relative

KLANG: The victim of the country’s first reported Zika infection case has fully recovered, according to a relative.

The victim’s sister-in-law, who did not want to be named, said the 58-year-old woman had made a full recovery by resting at home for several days after contracting the virus. The victim has now returned to work.

“She is the wife of my younger brother and we live here together.

“She is all good now. Thank you for your concern,” said the woman in her 60s when met at their home in Ambang Botanic here yesterday.

It was reported that the woman was suspected to have been infected on Aug 31.

She and her husband visited their daughter who was in Singapore on Aug 19 and returned to Malaysia on Aug 21.

Her daughter was confirmed as being infected on Aug 30.

The Health Ministry said the woman started exhibiting symptoms of a rash on Aug 28 and sought medical attention at a private clinic in Klang on Aug 30.

She was referred to the Sungai Buloh Hospital and her urine PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test on Aug 31 came back positive for the Zika virus.

A nearby resident, Nicholas Tan, 27, said he was cautious after the case was reported although he knew that the victim did not contract the Zika virus in Bandar Botanic.

“I used to frequent a park nearby for walks before this. But now I will make sure I leave before sunset, just to be cautious of mosquitoes.

“I also make sure that my family keeps our surroundings clean and free from mosquito-breeding grounds,” said the marketing communications executive.

Another resident, Andrew Sebastian, 42, said he was worried about dengue in the area as a few potential breeding spots around the man-made pond lacked maintenance from the local authorities.

“The pond’s water is stagnant and it could be a perfect breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes,” said the father of two.