HEALTH director-general Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said the cumulative total of dengue cases this year till December 16 recorded a rise of 89.3% to 117,505 cases from 62,060 cases in 2022 and there were 92 deaths this year compared to 49 the year before.

“In the 50th Epidemiological Week 2023 (Epi Week 50), from December 10 to 16, dengue cases rose by 6.5%, or 192 cases, with 3140 cases compared to 2,948.

“The number of hotspots also rose to 124 compared to 101 localities in the previous week,” he said in a statement today, adding that 95 of the hotspots were in Selangor, 13 in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, seven in Perak, four in Sabah, two in Negeri Sembilan and one each in Kedah, Penang and Sarawak.

Radzi said dengue cases are expected to rise till next year and the public should take precautions by ensuring the cleanliness of their homes and environments and destroy any potential breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquito.

Those with dengue symptoms, including continuous fever, diarrhea as well as aches and pains even with a negative Covid-19 test, are advised to take a fever test at the nearest health facility.

Regarding Chikungunya case surveillance, he said there was no outbreak detected but one case was recorded, bringing the total to 193 cases with 3,733 blood and 411 urine samples screened for zika, all of which produced negative results. – Bernama, December 23, 2023