KUALA LUMPUR: There was a 150.7% increase in the cumulative number of dengue fever cases reported in 2022, an increase from 39,737 cases to a total of 66,102 cases, compared to 26,365 cases reported in 2021.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the cumulative number of deaths due to dengue complications increased by 180% from 20 deaths in 2021 to 56 last year.
“The increase in the number of cases and deaths due to dengue should be given serious attention by all parties. Combating dengue is everyone’s responsibility,” he said in a statement today.
Noor Hisham said preventive measures were necessary to curb dengue fever.
Spraying mosquito repellent alone will not solve the dengue problem if mosquito breeding sites were not eliminated, he said.
Noor Hisham said among others, the increase in the number of dengue cases could be attributed to the reopening of all sectors post-pandemic.
The lack of hygiene in some communities had also contributed to more Aedes breeding grounds, he said.
“Weather, temperature and floods can also cause the population of Aedes mosquitoes to increase and subsequently spread the dengue virus,” he said.
Noor Hisham advised flood-hit states 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 to prevent the area from becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
He also reminded all residents to check for Aedes breeding grounds in their homes every week and to use larvicides in potential breeding grounds such as toilet pumps, decorative ponds and water fountains. - FMT
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