Johor couple declared free of Zika virus

A couple from Taman Desa Harmoni, Johor Bahru who had been suspected to be infected with the Zika has been declared free of the virus.

Both the husband and wife have also been discharged from the Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) last week where they had been receiving treatment.

State Health Department vector borne disease control unit head, Dr Roslinda A Rahman said, blood tests conducted on the couple returned negative.

“Both of them tested negative for Zika,” Dr Roslinda said but added the wife, who is pregnant, must however return to the hospital for treatment every two weeks.

The hospital’s obstetrician, she said, will also monitor the unborn child’s development and overall health.

Dr Roslinda was met after a briefing session for the ‘Search and Destroy 2.0’ operation organised by the Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB).

The operation, conducted together with the state’s Heath Department, will be carried out throughout areas under MBJB on September 24 in a bid to curb Aedes mosquitoes breeding.

The mosquito-borne virus has been linked to a spike in microcephaly, a rare birth defect, in Brazil, which has so far been the hardest hit by an outbreak affecting large parts of Latin America.

Babies born with the defect have undersized heads and brains. In adults, the virus - which can also be sexually transmitted - has been linked to a rare neurological syndrome called Guillain-Barre.