The cumulative number of dengue fever cases reported in 2022 saw an increase of 150.7 percent or 39,737 cases to a total of 66,102 cases from only 26,365 cases reported in 2021.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the cumulative number of deaths due to dengue complications reported in 2022 was 56 compared to 20 in 2021, which is an increase of 180 percent.

“The increase in the number of cases and death due to dengue should be given serious attention by all parties. Combating dengue is everyone’s responsibility,” he said in a statement here today.

Noor Hisham said preventive measures are necessary to ensure that dengue fever incidents can be prevented.

In this context, he said that spraying mosquito repellent will not solve the dengue problem if the breeding sites were not eliminated.

Noor Hisham said among the factors for the increase in dengue cases was the movement of people after all sectors were fully opened post-Covid-19 pandemic.

Asymptomatic dengue patients who visited new places will bring with them the dengue viruses which are spread to people through the bite of an infected Aedes species, he said.

Other factors are the change in the serotype of dengue to DEN 4 in most states as well as the habit of people in some communities who do not dispose of waste properly, hence contributing to the creation of Aedes breeding grounds.

“Weather, temperature, and flood disasters can also affect the development of mosquito and larvae which cause the population of Aedes to increase and subsequently spread the dengue virus,” he said.

In a bid to reduce the incidence of dengue cases and epidemics, Noor Hisham advised the states that have been hit by floods, such as Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perlis, Perak, Kedah, Sabah, and Sarawak, to start cleaning up piles of garbage and waste within a week after the floods recede so as to prevent the flood-hit areas from becoming breeding grounds for Aedes.

- Bernama

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