Clueless over dangers of dengue

Preventive measures: Volunteers handing out flyers in Kuala Terengganu, as part of the state

PETALING JAYA: Many Malaysians still do not know the severity of dengue infection and that if they are infected more than once, they could die.

A study showed that 98.1% of the 2,512 participants nationwide were aware Aedes mosquitoes transmit dengue and of dengue symptoms such as fever, joint and back pains, rashes and chills, said Universiti Malaya’s Department of Social and Preventive Medicine lecturer associate professor Dr Wong Li Ping.

“But only one-third of the participants (36.5% or 917) knew that dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) usually occurs in people who have had previous dengue infections.

“And less than half of the participants (42.0% or 1,055) were aware that there is no specific medication for the treatment of dengue,” she said.

These were among the findings in the paper “Factors Affecting Dengue Prevention Practices: Nationwide Survey of the Malaysian Public” which Dr Wong published with Sharina Mahavera Mohamad Shakir, Narges Atefi and Sazaly Abu Bakar in April last year.

For the study, a telephone survey was carried out among 2,512 Malaysians aged 18 to 60 from February 2012 to June 2013 in 13 states.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some patients with dengue fever may develop DHF around the time the fever begins to subside, usually three to seven days after symptom onset and this can be severe and sometimes fatal.

The symptoms included severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, marked change in temperature (from fever to hypothermia), haemorrhagic manifestations, or change in mental status such as irritability and confusion.

On Wednesday, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said that most Malaysians had a good knowledge about Aedes but it did not translate into action such as destroying breeding grounds.

Dr Wong said there was a need to re-examine and understand how the public viewed dengue prevention efforts.

The study found that participants with higher dengue knowledge had a higher level of involvement in dengue prevention practices.

Participants with higher perceived susceptibility of getting dengue were also associated with higher dengue prevention practices.

“Therefore, efforts should focus on enhancing perception of susceptibility of getting dengue among the Malaysian public,” said Dr Wong.

The study also revealed females showed a higher dengue knowledge and prevention score than males, suggesting that dengue prevention and control education should be more directed at men.