KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — The Health Ministry has increased monitoring in Johor to prevent the spread of Zika to the country, after a Malaysian woman was believed to have been infected with the virus in Singapore.

Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the ministry has been working with its Singapore counterpart on the prevention and monitoring of Zika cases in both countries.

"Since Malaysia also has Aedes mosquitoes which can act as vectors for the Zika virus, there is also the possibility of it happening here should anyone visit a country with known cases of the virus,” he said in a statement in Bahasa Malaysia.

"As part of our preparation, KKM has already increased monitoring at the two main entry points in Johor and distributed flyers related to the prevention of Zika infection... this includes paramedic teams at the entry points to handle visitors with potential symptoms of Zika infection,” he added, using the Malay acronym for the ministry.

Noor Hisham also urged both government and private health facilities to report symptoms of Zika infection to the ministry as soon as possible. 

Yesterday, Bernama reported that the Singapore Health Ministry had issued a statement saying that the 47-year-old Malaysian was likely infected in Singapore since she had not travelled to any countries affected by the Zika virus.

The Singapore Health Ministry also said that the patient developed a fever, rash and conjunctivitis on August 25. The following day, she sought the advice of a general practitioner, who then referred her to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where she tested positive for Zika yesterday.

The national news agency also reported that she was hospitalised for observation and is currently recovering.

According to Reuters, Zika is transmitted to people through the bite of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same species that spreads dengue. There is currently no vaccine to prevent Zika infections.

Reuters also reported that the Zika outbreak has affected 55 countries so far, with most cases occurring in the US and Brazil.