Malaysia has seen a surge in dengue cases for the first week of this year, with 3,181 cases reported, according to Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, the Health director-general. This marks an increase of 962 cases compared to the same period in 2023.
Dr Muhammad Radzi also pointed out that there were no deaths reported due to complications from dengue during the first epidemiology week of 2024, in contrast to one death reported during the same period in 2023.
The number of dengue hotspots has decreased to 130 localities compared to 131 the previous week, with Selangor reporting the highest number of dengue hotspots at 100 localities. Other hotspots were in the Federal Territory and Putrajaya (14), Perak (7), Negri Sembilan (4), Sabah (2), Sarawak (2) and Kedah (1).
Dr Muhammad Radzi also provided updates on the chikungunya and Zika viruses, stating that only one chikungunya case was reported for the first week of 2024, and all 18 blood samples tested for Zika virus returned negative.
Despite the rise in dengue cases, Dr Muhammad Radzi advised the public to keep their homes and surroundings clean and free of unwanted trash, emphasizing the importance of preventing the breeding of the Aedes mosquito, which requires clean stagnant water.
Last week, Dr Muhammad Radzi highlighted an 86.3% spike in the number of dengue cases in 2023 compared to the previous year, with a total of 123,133 dengue fever cases recorded in 2023. This marked a significant increase of 57,031 cases compared to the 66,102 cases in 2022.
