Local dengue fever cases at historic high last year

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 130,101 dengue fever cases were recorded from January until Dec 28 last year, the highest in history for Malaysia.

The numbers, released by the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) of the Health Ministry today (Jan 2), revealed the previous highest cases recorded was 120,836 - in 2015.

However, the 182 deaths reported last year was lower than the 336 recorded in 2015.

There was also a spike in dengue cases in many neighbouring countries.

The World Health Organisation’s Dengue Situation Update report showed an increase in Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and China by between one and eight times higher compared to the previous year.

Many cases were also recorded in places that used to be dengue-free.

According to WHO, before 1970, only nine countries had experienced severe dengue epidemics compared to 100 currently.

The CPRC reported that last year's dengue figures (up to Dec 28) in Malaysia showed an increase of 49,486 cases (61.4%) compared with 80,615 cases in 2018 during the same period. There were 147 deaths in 2018.

Meanwhile, 990 Chikungunya cases and one positive Zika case were reported from January to Dec 28 last year.

On Dec 1, The Guardian reported that rising temperatures across Asia and the Americas have contributed to multiple severe outbreaks of dengue fever globally, making 2019 the worst year on record for the disease.

Despite all the warning signs, apathy abounds, as far as environmental cleanliness is concerned, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said recently.

He urged people to clean up their surroundings as the abundance of used containers in the environment provide places for the Aedes mosquito to breed and spread the dengue virus.