KUALA LUMPUR: All the 393 samples of blood tested so far for the Zika virus showed negative results, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
The samples, taken from dengue patients between June 2015 and Feb 10, 2016, were tested by the National Public Health Laboratory and the Institute for Medical Research, he said.
“So far, all the tests (for NS 1) showed up negative,” he said in a statement reported by Bernama yesterday.
Dr Noor Hisham said there was no vaccine or specific medication for Zika virus infection.
He also said that the Health Ministry had taken proactive measures to stop the spread of the Zika virus to the country, including by imposing tight control at the international gateways.
“Visitors from Zika-infected countries will be issued the Health Alert Card and advised on what measures to take if they developed symptoms associated with the Zika virus,” he said.
Dr Noor Hisham advised the people to ensure cleanliness in the houses and surrounding areas, destroy all Aedes breeding places, wear long-sleeve shirts or blouses and long pants and use mosquito repellent.
He said the people should immediately seek medical attention if they suffered from symptoms such as fever, body aches, rashes and conjunctivitis within seven days of returning from the 33 Zika-infected countries.
The Zika virus infection is widespread in several countries, particularly in the American region, and has sparked fear in the majority of the world population.
The World Health Organization said Friday large-scale trials for Zika virus vaccines are at least 18 months away, while establishing a possible link between the virus and two more harmful conditions will likely only take weeks, AFP reported.
An estimated 15 companies or groups have begun work on a vaccine for the virus, the spread of which has been declared an international health emergency, WHO’s deputy director for health systems and innovation Marie-Paule Kieny told journalists.
There are currently two vaccine candidates which appear most promising, including one product being developed by the US National Institutes of Health and another from India-based Bharat biotech, Kieny said.
“In spite of this encouraging landscape, vaccines are at least 18 months away from large-scale trials,” she added.
Meanwhile, Kieny told AFP it would take an estimated four to eight weeks to establish whether Zika causes microcephaly and the severe neurological disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome.
While most people infected with Zika have only mild symptoms, rising global anxiety about the virus is driven by its strongly suspected link to the two more serious conditions.
Microcephaly can cause babies to be born with abnormally small heads and brains, while Guillain-Barre can cause paralysis or even death.
Zika has spread rapidly through Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil worst-hit, followed by Colombia.