Malaysia confirms its 8th Zika virus case
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this May 23, 2016, file photo, an Aedes aegypti mosquito sits inside a glass tube at the Fiocruz institute where they have been screening for mosquitos naturally infected with the Zika virus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In Puerto Rico fear over Zika is stunting the growth of tourism, the only industry that was starting to flourish as the island teeters on financial collapse amid a decade-long economic crisis.(AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File) (ap)
Malaysia confirmed an eighth Zika virus case on Sunday, involving a 67-year-old man who first showed symptoms in late November.
An online statement from the Health Ministry's director general, Noor Hisham Abdullah, did not specify if the man from the state of Selangor contracted the case locally or overseas.
The statement said that during Nov. 14-28, the man was in Kuala Lumpur, in the Selangor city of Shah Alam and in Perak state, north of Selangor.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"His family members were questioned and their blood and urine samples were taken as soon as he (the patient) tested positive for Zika," said Noor Hisham.
"Active case detection is being conducted in the patient's residential area to detect if neighboring residents have symptoms of Zika."
Malaysia confirmed its first Zika case in September, after a woman tested positive for the virus following a three-day visit to neighboring Singapore.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.