DATA and the cyclical nature of its outbreaks indicate the dengue epidemic will peak in Malaysian this year, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.

He said dengue outbreaks follow a cyclical pattern with an epidemic reported every four to five years.

“Dengue is on the rise this year as part of its cyclical trend and it is anticipated to peak in 2023,” he told English language daily The Star today.

“The rising number of dengue cases are partly contributed by the change in dominant circulating dengue serotype or the ‘serotype shift’ which is a well-known reason for the occurrence of a dengue surge.

“It has been observed that dengue cases will increase usually four to six months after a serotype shift due to the lack of immunity in the community for the new dominant circulating serotype.”

He noted a dengue epidemic was observed in 2014 and 2019 with an average of 2,300-2,500 cases per week.

His statement comes after Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that 26,222 dengue cases have been reported since the start of 2023, compared to 8,124 cases in the same period last year. Dengue deaths also rose 17 from four during the corresponding period in 2022.

Noor Hisham said climate change was a contributor to the spike in cases.

“During the rainy season, man-made containers, or natural places, for example, leaves of plants that retain water, create potential places for the Aedes mosquitoes to breed.

“On the other hand, during the hot season, Aedes mosquitoes become more active and bite more humans, thus increasing the spread of the dengue virus,” he said in the statement.

He said a drastic spike in dengue cases was also reported in other countries in the region. – March 30, 2023.

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