KUALA LUMPUR – The cumulative number of dengue fever cases reported in 2022 saw an increase of 150.7% or 39,737 cases to 66,102 cases, from only 26,365 cases reported in 2021.
Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the cumulative number of deaths due to dengue complications reported in 2022 was 56 compared with 20 in 2021, an increase of 180%.
“The increase in the number of cases and death due to dengue should be given serious attention by all parties. Combating dengue is everyone’s responsibility,” he said in a statement here today.
Dr Noor Hisham said preventive measures are necessary to ensure that dengue fever incidents can be prevented.
He said spraying mosquito repellent will not solve the dengue problem if mosquito-breeding sites are not eliminated.
Dr Noor Hisham said among the factors in the increase of dengue cases is the movement of people after all sectors were fully opened after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Asymptomatic dengue patients who visit new places will bring the dengue virus, which spreads through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, he said.
Other factors are the change in the dengue serotype to DEN4 in most states, as well as the lack of proper waste disposal habits, contributing to the creation of Aedes breeding grounds.
“Weather, temperature, and floods can also affect the development of mosquitoes and their larvae, which cause the Aedes population to increase and subsequently spread the dengue virus,” he said.
To reduce the incidence of dengue cases and epidemics, Dr Noor Hisham advised states hit by floods, such as Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perlis, Perak, Kedah, Sabah, and Sarawak to start cleaning up piles of garbage and waste within a week after the floods recede, to prevent flood-hit areas from becoming breeding grounds for Aedes.
He also reminded all residents to find and destroy Aedes breeding places in their respective residential areas every week, and use larvicides in places that have the potential to become breeding grounds for Aedes, such as toilet pumps, decorative ponds, and water fountains.
Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said Chikungunya surveillance recorded 13 cases during the 52nd epidemiological week with eight cases from Penang, four cases from Selangor, and one case each from Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
The cumulative number of Chikungunya cases reported in 2022 was 814, quite a significant drop from the 1,432 cases reported throughout 2021.
For Zika surveillance throughout 2022, he said 2,238 blood samples and 18 urine samples were tested for Zika and all the results came back negative, he added. – Bernama, January 4, 2023
