KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 ― A family of three women have been quarantined at their home in Durian Tunggal, Malacca after returning from a recent visit to Singapore which has been hit with a outbreak of the Zika virus, The New Straits Times reported on its website today.

The women visited Singapore on August 26 and returned on August 30, but have shown no signs of infection from the Aedes mosquito-borne virus.

Health authorities are waiting for the results of a urine test as an added measure though earlier blood tests turned out negative, according to the report.

In a separate report by national news agency Bernama, Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron denied allegations of Zika cases in the state.

He urged the public not to believe rumours spread through social media but to wait for official news from the Health Ministry.

"Until now, we have not received any official report from the Health Ministry or the Malacca Health Department on the virus infections. Wait for official information, don’t be influenced by rumours,” he was quoted telling reporters after officiating at the International Sungai Melaka Festival in Malacca late last night.

Malaysia has one confirmed case of a Zika infection to date.

A 58-year old woman from Bandar Botanic in Klang, Selangor contracted the virus but is reported to be on the mend. She is suspected to have been infected during a recent trip to Singapore late last month to visit her daughter.

According to a report by The Star yesterday, she is being kept at the Hospital Sungai Buloh for observation. The patient’s husband who also accompanied her on the Singapore trip was reported to be Zika virus-free.

As of Friday, Singapore has recorded 189 cases of Zika infections within its borders, including two pregnant women.

The regional financial and transit hub is the only Asian country with active transmission of the virus.

Zika infections are usually not fatal but in pregnant women have been shown to cause microcephaly ― a severe birth defect in which the head and brain are undersized ― as well as other brain abnormalities.

In adults, Zika infections have also been linked to a rare neurological syndrome known as Guillain-Barre, as well as other neurological disorders.

Malaysia’s Health Ministry’s disease control division director Dr Chong Chee Keong has warned that Malaysia might suffer a similar fate to Singapore if swift action is not taken to address the spread of the virus.

Zika is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, the same insect that also causes the deadlier dengue, as well as through sex and from a mother to her foetus.