Unicef urges vigilance in M’sia as Zika virus threat looms

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The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has urged Malaysians to take precautionary measures as the Zika virus spreads across the globe.

Unicef’s country representative for Malaysia Mariaane Clark-Hattingh said pregnant women in particular should exercise vigilance.

She pointed out that Zika virus is transmitted through Aedes mosquitoes, the same insect that spreads dengue which has been a menace in the country.

“The Zika virus is transmitted through the Aedes mosquito, which also transmits the dengue virus, a serious concern here in Malaysia. We would like to echo the urging made by the Malaysian Health Ministry for the public to take precautions to limit the possibility of exposure to both viruses,” she said in a statement today.

There has not been any confirmed cases of Zika virus in Malaysia to date but the Health Ministry has urged the public to be on alert.

South America is reeling from an outbreak of the virus which causes symptoms similar to dengue but can pose more serious danger to pregnant women.

Zika virus is suspected to cause incidences of microcephaly in newborn babies.

Unicef pointed out that in the case of Brazil, there were 147 cases of microcephaly in 2014.

However, following the Zika virus outbreak, Brazil has registered 4,180 cases of microcephaly between Oct 22, 2015 and Jan 26, 2016.

“While the surge in microcephaly has so far only been reported in Brazil, Unicef is also scaling up its support to other countries in the region and stands ready to support national governments as needed,” it said.



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