KOTA KINABALU: A community-centred approach is being used in the country’s dengue control strategy under the Komuniti Bebas Denggi (KomBeD) programme, says Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
The Health Minister said the initiative involved a “whole‑of‑government and whole‑of‑society” approach to tackling vector‑borne diseases through a 3E approach – environmental intervention, community empowerment, and entomological surveillance.
Speaking at the Asean Dengue Day, World Malaria Day and National Mega gotong‑goyong celebration in Manggatal here Sunday (June 14), he said through environmental intervention, they hoped to create and promote clean and green communities through 3R practices- systematic waste management, tree planting, beautification projects and energy conservation.
Citing Kampung Cenderamata as a model example, he said recyclables were transformed into handicrafts with economic value, supported by Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC).
Through community empowerment, he said the Health Ministry encouraged communities to take active roles in identifying local problems, planning solutions and carrying out preventive actions to combat the dengue threat.
“Weekly 10‑minute home inspections to eliminate mosquito breeding sites are being promoted as a nationwide habit,” he added.
Through entomological surveillance, Dzulkefly said scientific monitoring of mosquito populations, breeding indices and ovitraps were used to detect risks early and optimise control measures.
“We want to build not only dengue‑free neighbourhoods, but communities that are responsible for health, care for the environment and resilient against future challenges,” he said during the programme under the Agenda Nasional Malaysia Sihat (ANMS) 2026 tour.
Dzulkefly said from a regional Asean perspective, dengue infection patterns were cyclical, peaking every four to five years due to global climate change, rainfall distribution, and monsoon transitions.
“Regionally, Malaysia recorded 33,367 dengue cases in 2026 (as of 13 June), an increase of 20.70% compared to 2025.
“Malaysia ranks third behind Indonesia (39,672 cases) and Vietnam (35,986 cases), but this is no reason for complacency. In fact, our incidence rate is the highest among Asean countries.
“Dengue-related deaths also rose by 43.75%, with 23 deaths compared to only 16 in 2025. Laboratory surveillance found an extreme serotype shift, with DENV-3 now dominating infections in Malaysia,” he added.
He said chikungunya cases also surged to 163 cumulative cases compared to just 30 in the same period last year (+443%).
In Sabah, he said 2,866 dengue cases were reported, a 50.4% increase compared to the same period last year. The five districts with the highest active transmission are Kota Kinabalu (1,033 cases), Tawau (578), Sandakan (500), followed by Penampang and Putatan.
However, despite this surge, he said the Sabah Health Department had done a commendable job in successfully managing patients, recording zero deaths this year.
On malaria, he said Malaysia has made global public health history by maintaining zero indigenous human malaria cases since 2018 through the constant efforts of government, health workers, and communities.
However, Malaysia still faces the challenge of zoonotic malaria (malaria knowlesi), which accounted for 80.55% of malaria cases (2,088 cases) in 2025. Only 504 were human malaria cases, all of which were imported or introduced.
“This is why Sabah’s role as host this year is significant. Sabah is at the frontline in managing zoonotic malaria impacts. This issue demands a comprehensive One Health approach.
“The Health Ministry can no longer work in silos—we need integrated collaboration binding commitments from health, environment, wildlife, and local communities,” he added.
