Two housewives aged 27 and 54 in Perak succumbed to dengue last week, bringing the total of fatalities to six in the country this year.

The latest cases were recorded between Jan 5 and 12.

The two women had experienced fever, headaches, joint pains and nausea before being warded at the intensive care unit where their condition turned critical, said the Health Ministry in a statement yesterday.

According to the statement, 1,946 cases of dengue fever were reported nationwide between Jan 5 and 12, an increase of 907 cases (87.3 percent) compared to 1,039 in the previous week.

More than 680 localities throughout the country were monitored, where 11 states were affected encompassing 480 areas in Selangor, 62 in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, 45 in Negri Sembilan, 42 in Johor, 29 in Perak, eight in Penang and Malacca, six in Sarawak, two in Sabah and one in Kedah and Kelantan.

- Bernama