THE cumulative number of dengue fever cases reported in 2022 rose by 150.7% or 39,737 cases to 66,102 from 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 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 are necessary to curb dengue fever.

He said spraying mosquito repellent will not solve the problem if the mosquito breeding sites are not eliminated.

He said among the factors for the increase in dengue cases was the movement of people after all sectors were reopened post-Covid pandemic.

Asymptomatic dengue patients who visited places will bring with them the virus, which is spread to others through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, he said.

The lack of hygiene in some communities had also contributed to more Aedes breeding grounds.

“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 the flood-hit states to start cleaning up within a week after the floods to prevent the areas from becoming breeding grounds 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. – Bernama, January 4, 2023.