Dengue - a threat in Malaysia? | AWANI International

THE threat of dengue is still prevalent in Malaysia amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic with more casualties being recorded.

What does it mean?

Malaysia recorded over 130,101 dengue cases last year with 182 deaths based on the Ministry of Health (MOH) Crisis Preparedness Response Centre (CPRC).

A total of 35,847 cases were reported in Malaysia between Dec 29, 2019, and April 7, 2020.

The six states with the highest number of cases were Selangor with 21,851 cases, followed by Johor 2,881, Kuala Lumpur 2,627, Sabah 1,956, Kelantan 1,366 and Perak 1,112.

In Johor, the dengue death rate has increased significantly in the first half of this year, with 20 fatalities recorded compared to 15 for the same period last year.

Why should we care?

On June 6, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah announced that Malaysia is projected to record a higher number of dengue cases from this month till September after observing an increase by 8% for six consecutive weeks.

Within that time frame, 84 deaths due to dengue were reported as compared to 83 in the same period last year.

The risk is also expected to increase as the country prepares itself to reopen more business sectors, whose premises have not been in use since the start of the Movement Control Order (MCO) on 18 March.

The public is advised to maintain the cleanliness of their premises and take special attention to the breeding grounds of Aedes mosquito, a carrier for the disease. Those with symptoms should also seek treatment at the nearest health facility immediately.