86.3% spike in reported dengue cases in 2023: Radzi
Published on: Friday, January 05, 2024
By: FMT
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The health ministry advised the public to organise weekly ‘search and destroy’ efforts aimed at eradicating Aedes mosquito breeding grounds.
PETALING JAYA: The health ministry recorded an 86.3% spike in the number of dengue cases in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Health director-general Dr Radzi Abu Hassan said the ministry recorded 2,715 dengue cases in the last week of 2023 itself.
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“The cumulative number of reported dengue fever cases throughout the year was 123,133, which represents a significant increase of 57,031 cases (86.3%) compared to the 66,102 cases reported in 2022,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the total number of deaths reported due to complications from dengue for 2023 stood at 100, marking an increase of 44 deaths (78.6%) compared to 56 in 2022.
Radzi also said there were a total of 134 hotspot locations for dengue cases reported in the past week, marking a slight increase from 131 previously. Selangor recorded the highest number with 104, followed by Perak (nine), Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya combined (eight), Negeri Sembilan (seven), Penang and Sabah (two each) and Kedah and Sarawak (one each).
Meanwhile, the ministry’s surveillance of chikungunya cases recorded a total of 197 cases for 2023, compared to 814 the previous year. For the last week of 2023, only one case was recorded.
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“Environmental cleanliness and the habit of some individuals not disposing of waste properly are among the primary contributors to mosquito breeding sites, especially those of Aedes mosquitoes, subsequently leading to an increase in dengue cases,” Radzi said.
He advised the public to engage in weekly “search and destroy” efforts aimed at eradicating Aedes mosquito breeding grounds within their residential zones, allocating a minimum of 10 minutes for this activity.
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