Malaysia urges regional cooperation to stem Zika spread

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Friday that regional collaboration is “absolutely vital” to contain the Zika virus outbreak that has raised its head in Singapore, where the number of infected people has shot up to 150.

Speaking at the 9th General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties in Kuala Lumpur, Najib said that Singapore has been badly hit by Zika, while the first case of a Malaysian infected by the virus has also come to light, as cited media outlet Free Malaysia Today.

The prime minister highlighted that “close collaboration with our neighbors is absolutely vital to meet the threat.”

Malaysian health authorities confirmed Thursday that a 58yearold woman, who had visited Singapore with her husband between Aug. 19 and 21, was the first Malaysian citizen diagnosed with Zika.

Addressing citizens, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday that the citystate’s “best defense is to eradicate mosquitoes and destroy breeding habitats, all over Singapore,” as reported by The Straits Times newspaper.

Relevant authorities in Singapore have advised people to see a doctor if they display any symptoms of the disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, including skin rashes which may be accompanied by fever, conjunctivitis, muscle or joint pain and headache.

Countries including the United States, Australia, South Korea and China have issued travel warnings for Singapore in the face of the Zika outbreak detected on Aug. 27.

Around 2.6 million people live in areas susceptible to the spread of the mosquitoborne disease, mainly in Asia and Africa, according to a study published by British medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.