Malaysian pregnant women first infected with Zika virus

Malaysian officials on September 8 confirmed the first pregnant woman infected with Zika caused brain atrophy, a 27-year-old woman living in Johor Bahru city near Singapore.

Zika zebra virus transmission.(Photo: Reuters).

According to CNN, Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam said the woman is 3-4 months pregnant. Her husband working in Singapore also has Zika and has a health check. It is not yet possible for a woman to spread the disease from her husband or mosquito.

This is the first of three Zika infections in Malaysia. Earlier, a 58-year-old tourist brought a small deformed virus to Malaysia after visiting Singapore. On September 3, local authorities recorded one more patient with Zika transmitted by mosquitoes.

Minister Subramaniam warned Malaysia will have more cases of other Zika infections in Johor Bahru city because it is very close to Singapore which has recorded 275 people infected. Every day, about 200,000 Malaysian citizens travel between these two areas.

Zika virus is said to be particularly dangerous for pregnant women because it leads to small head defects in the fetus. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, small head disease can be detected at 18-20 week gestation. Earlier this year, the outbreak in Latin America then spread to several European countries.