Dengue cases up 204% to 8,968 from Jan 1-28

 

A total of 79 dengue hotspots were found during the week from Jan 22 to 28, with Selangor heading the list.

KUALA LUMPUR: The number of dengue fever cases for the week from Jan 22 dropped by 17.6% to 1,910 from 2,319 the previous week.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said one death was recorded during the fourth epidemiological week from Jan 22 to 28.

He said the cumulative number of dengue fever cases reported to date was 8,968, compared with 2,948 during the same period last year. This was an increase of 204.2%, or 6,020 cases.

“Four deaths due to dengue fever complications have been reported so far compared with none in the same period last year,” he said in a statement today.

Noor Hisham said 79 hotspots were reported during the week compared with 80 the week before, with 51 of them in Selangor, 14 in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, 12 in Sabah and two in Penang.

He also said five cases of chikungunya were recorded during the week, with three in Penang and one each in Kedah and Selangor, bringing the cumulative number to date to 52.

A total of 169 blood samples and one urine sample were also screened for zika, with all returning negative results. - FMT