Dengue cases, deaths double in Malaysia
Malaysia has been plagued by dengue once again – as of August 3, 2019, some 80,000 cases and 113 deaths have been reported in the country, nearly twice as many as last year. Over 70% of cases occurred in urban areas, such as flats and apartments, with 251 hot spots in nine states, including Selangor, the Federal Territories and Penang.
At the moment, the Health Ministry is employing various methods to overcome the outbreak. Fogging is a go-to method, but another approach using infected Aedes mosquitos to lower the mosquito population has been started as well.
The Deputy Health Minister, Dr. Lee Boon Chye, expects the number of cases to hit 150,000 by December 2019, if efforts are not taken to control it, and has reached out to the public to ensure their living areas are free of Aedes mosquitos.
Currently, there is no specific cure for dengue, but early detection and prompt medical care will save lives, according to the Ministry’s Director-General, Noor Hisham Abdullah. He adds that the spread of dengue is likely because of changing weather conditions and increase/migration of populations across the globe.
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