Dengue danger, not just Covid-19

PETALING JAYA: While cases of Covid-19 currently dominate the news, cases of dengue fever have also been on the rise in the country.

According to the government’s iDengue portal, 35,115 cases have already been reported from Dec 29,2019, to April 2 this year.

So far, 49 people have died of the disease spread by the Aedes mosquito. Selangor recorded the highest number of cases in the country with 21,474 cases, followed by Johor with 2,778 cases and Kuala Lumpur with 2,555 cases.

Many areas in Selangor are considered to be hot spots, where the disease has been detected for over 30 days.

In 2018, there were a total of 80,615 cases and 147 deaths, while in 2017, there were 83,849 cases and 177 deaths.

The highest number of cases recorded in the past decade was in 2015, with 120,835 cases and 336 deaths.

‘There is no cure for dengue yet but it can be prevented by getting rid of its vector, the Aedes mosquitoes, or by getting rid of their breeding grounds, ” said Public Health Malaysia (PHM) on its Facebook page.

It said that common breeding grounds of mosquitoes include tanks of toilet pumps, pails, swimming pools, aquariums, and empty containers.

PHM added that abandoned houses and empty premises are also a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes to infect the neighbours.

“This is because stagnant water such as in toilet pumps are not used for two weeks or water stagnates in these premises. In such cases, you as a neighbor can spray insectiside for prevention, ” said PHM, adding that the local councils can also be contacted.

“This is because water stagnates on these premises. In such cases, you as a neighbour can spray insecticide for prevention or call the local councils, ” said PHM.

The virus responsible for causing dengue is called the dengue virus (DENV). There are four DENV serotypes, meaning that it is possible to be infected four times.