The number of dengue infections in Malaysia almost doubled in 2023 compared to the previous year due to a global surge in infections.
According to the government’s iDengue portal, there were 123,300 cases from January 1 to December 31 last year, which was an increase of 86.5% from 66,102 in 2022.
The total number of cases recorded in 2023 was the highest since 2019, which saw 130,101 infections.
The sharpest rise in cases last year occurred in November and December. Weekly cases peaked during the period of December 12-16 with 3,140 infections.
The significant increase is not limited to Malaysia.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2023 witnessed a “surprising surge” in dengue infections, resulting in nearly a historic high of five million cases and over 5,000 deaths in more than 80 countries.
In a statement on December 21, the WHO indicated that the changing distribution of the Aedes mosquito, the impacts of the El Nino weather phenomena, and climate change all contributed to the surge in cases in 2023.
The WHO also mentioned that there has been a significant increase in dengue cases worldwide over the past two decades, with cases rising from 505,430 in 2000.
The highest ever recorded number of dengue cases worldwide was 5.2 million in 2019.
In Southeast Asia, the WHO noted that Indonesia and Thailand were among the countries most severely affected by the increase in dengue cases.
Thailand saw a more than 300% increase in dengue cases, rising from 46,678 in 2022 to 136,655 in 2023 as of 22 November 2023.
In Malaysia, nearly half of the total cases were reported in Selangor. The state had 61,207 cases, which made up 49.6% of infections nationwide.
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