Malaysian Zika patient dies

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah confirmed that the 61-year-old ethnic Dusun man from Sabah, who was admitted with multiple health problems, died at 5:30pm yesterday.

"He died of complications from his underlying heart disease," he said, adding that the full results of the investigation into the cause of death are pending.

The man, who had muscle pain and diarrhoea, was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth 2 Hospital’s emergency and trauma unit on National Day.

Dr Noor Hisham earlier said the case, reported to the ministry on Friday, was believed to be the first locally-transmitted Zika infection in the country.

"This Zika infection was most likely from a local source of infection as the patient did not have any recent travelling history abroad and was probably bitten by an Aedes mosquito infected with Zika," he said in a statement.

The patient developed a fever on Aug 27 and sought medical attention for the first time at the Luyang Health Clinic on Aug 30. The next day, he sought further treatment at the hospital when he experienced worsening fever, muscle aches and diarrhoea.

The patient, said Dr Noor Hisham, also had high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, kidney stones and gout.

"Due to the multiple illnesses, the patient’s condition was quite serious when he was first seen at the hospital," he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said the patient’s blood and urine samples tested positive for Zika but his serious clinical condition could also be due to existing health afflictions and not primarily due to the Zika virus.

The Health Ministry, he added, had immediately started vector control activities in the residential areas and places that the patient had visited as well as examined his close contacts.

He warned that since the Zika virus has been detected in the country, Zika cases are expected to increase further.

On Thursday, the ministry announced the first Zika patient diagnosed in the country, a 58-year-old woman who had visited her daughter in Singapore with her husband on Aug 19 and returned on Aug 21.

Her daughter, who works and lives in Paya Lebar, Singapore, had been infected.

Dr Noor Hisham said the latest update from the Singapore Health Ministry showed that 11 Malay­sians were confirmed to be infected with the Zika virus – 10 of them work and live in Singapore, and one works in Singapore but resides in Johor.

In Kota Kinabalu, most of the residents around Taman Public Jaya Likas, where the deceased patient lived, were not aware of the case.

Fogging had been conducted in the area since Friday but residents were told it was to prevent dengue.

Phoebe Barrow, 77, said she was shocked to learn from reporters that it was not just for dengue but because one of her neighbours had been diagnosed with the Zika virus.

"How can the authorities not tell the people about this? We should know so that we can take precautionary measures," said the retired nurse.

Another resident, Ainah, said she was also unaware of the Zika situation.