Zika patient in Sabah dies due to heart complications
Image for illustration purposes only. The 61-year-old man, who died at 5.30pm today, also had other comorbidities such as high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, kidney stones and gout.
The Health Ministry has confirmed that a male patient from Sabah, the first locally transmitted case of Zika virus infection in the country, died due to complications from his underlying heart condition.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the 61-year-old man, who died at 5.30pm today, also had other comorbidities such as high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, kidney stones and gout.
"However, the full results of the investigation on the cause of death are still pending," he told Bernama when contacted today.
Earlier, Noor Hisham in a statement said the patient developed fever on Aug 27 and sought medical attention for the first time at the Luyang Health Clinic on Aug 30.
On Aug 31, the patient sought further treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital 2 when he experienced worsening fever, muscle aches and diarrhoea.
He had said that although the test results from the Public Health Laboratory showed that the blood and urine samples of the patient tested positive for Zika, his serious clinical condition was perhaps due to his existing comorbidities and not primarily due to the Zika infection.
Dr Noor Hisham said the man, of Dusun-descent, was from Taman Public Jaya, Likas.
"The ministry is investigating the patient's recent travel history. There is a great probability the Zika infection is locally transmitted," he said.
He said this was because the patient did not travel abroad in recent days and was possibly bitten by an infected Aedes mosquito.
Noor Hisham said the ministry had embarked on vector control activities around the patient's residential area as well as other places which he had visited.
"Control activities undertaken include wiping out Aedes breeding spots, larvaciding (use of Abate) and fogging. In addition, close contacts of the patient will be examined if they have fever or other Zika virus infection symptoms.
"Latest updates from Singapore's Health Ministry showed that overall, 11 Malaysians have been confirmed to be infected with the Zika virus in the republic," he said.
He said of the total, 10 of them were living and working in Singapore while one was working in Singapore but residing in Johor.
On Thursday, the ministry confirmed that a 58-year-old woman living at Bandar Botanic, Klang, Selangor tested positive for Zika virus infection one week after her return from Singapore on Aug 21.
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