A SPIKE in dengue cases in Malaysia is expected between June and September after an average weekly increase of 8% over the past six weeks, said director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Dengue has claimed 84 lives so far this year, compared to 83 in the same period last year, he added.

Preliminary investigations into the fatalities found that 11% of the 84 cases sought treatment too late, which was three days after experiencing symptoms.

“Based on the trend of dengue fever cases for five years, expect a spike with the second wave starting from early June until September,” he told the daily press briefing today.

He noted the risk was also greater with the introduction of the recovery movement control order (RMCO), which starts on Wednesday, as most premises closed since March 18 are expected to reopen.

He called on the public and business owners to maintain high hygiene by cleaning up areas that may be a breeding ground for the disease.

This included spraying areas where water can be stagnant – such as pools, pumps and toilets – with larvicide.

He also advised the public and businesses to cleaning both indoors and outdoors at least once a week.

“If you have symptoms of dengue fever, seek immediate treatment at a nearby health facility. The enforcement of the CMCO or RMCO should not be a hindrance to seek early treatment,” he said.

He urged private and public healthcare facilities to be alert for suspected cases, adding they will require immediate treatment and referral.

According to the ministry’s Crisis Preparedness Response Centre (CPRC), there were 130,101 dengue cases last year, up by 61% from 2018.

A total of 182 deaths were reported from the fever last year. – June 8, 2020.