Dengue fever is on the rise again nationwide with an increase of 2,017 cases reported between June 26 and July 2 (Week-26) or 13.5 percent, as compared to 1,777 cases the previous week.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said nine states recorded an increase in dengue cases, namely Selangor with 1,145 cases, Johor (165), Perak (75), Sarawak (68), Kelantan (51), Kedah (42), Pahang (39), Penang (31) and Perlis (5).

"Meanwhile, the cumulative cases of dengue fever from January up to July 2 stood at 57,782 cases compared to 59,365 cases during the corresponding period last year, a decline of 2.7 per cent (1,583 cases)," he said in a statement in Kuala Lumpur today.

Noor Hisham said 10 dengue fatalities were reported in Week-26, making the total number of deaths at 132 compared to 165 deaths during the corresponding period last year.

The number of localities where the dengue is still active increased from 647 to 660 localities for Week-26, while the outbreak of hot spots declined from 74 to 73 localities compared to the previous week.

With the number of dengue cases expected to increase after the festive season, he advised the public to be alert to signs and symptoms of the disease such as fever, muscle and joint pains, rashes, pain behind the eyes and headache.

"This includes dengue fever pre-existing signs such as stomach pain, frequent vomiting, restlessness, feeling weak and bleeding from the gums and nose.

"If there are such signs and symptoms, get treatment at the nearest clinic or hospital immediately as early detection and treatment can save lives," he said.

In the meantime, a total of 507 blood samples were tested by the National Public Health Laboratory and the Institute for Medical Research until July 2 for the Zika virus but it was not detected.

Apart from that, health screenings conducted at several immigration checkpoints in this country revealed that no visitors were detected for the Zika virus.

- Bernama