Dengue cases down; Four deaths reported in ME07 - Health DG

PUTRAJAYA: The number of dengue fever cases has dropped to 3,483 cases in the 7th Epidemiological Week (ME07), from Feb 11 to 17, compared with 3,631 cases reported in the previous week, with four deaths due to complications of dengue fever.

Health director-general, Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, said that the cumulative number of dengue fever cases reported up to ME07 was 25,541 cases, compared with 15,243 recorded for the same period last year.

"There have been 14 deaths due to dengue fever complications reported, compared with 13 deaths for the corresponding period last year," he said in a statement today.

He said that the number of hotspot localities reported has also dropped to 185, compared with 199 in the previous week.

He said that, of the total, 144 localities were recorded in Selangor, 17 in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, followed by Perak (nine); Negeri Sembilan (six); Penang (four); two each in Kedah and Sabah and one in Pahang.

Dr Muhammad Radzi said that for chikungunya surveillance, only one case was recorded in ME07, bringing the cumulative number of cases to four.

As for Zika surveillance, he said that a total of 307 blood samples had been screened for Zika and the results were all negative.

-- BERNAMA