Malaysia-Dengue

[Gert van der Hoek]

Nation

Wednesday March 21, 2007

Subang Jaya has highest number of dengue cases

PUTRAJAYA: Subang Jaya recorded the highest number of dengue cases in the first 11 weeks of the year.

As of last Saturday, the municipality recorded 1,023 suspected dengue cases with five deaths, outstripping Shah Alam, which recorded 711 cases.

Parliamentary secretary to the Health Ministry Datuk Lee Kah Choon said that for this year, the number of suspected dengue infections stood at 12,086 cases.

?This number is still high, particularly for areas in Selangor and Federal Territory, which continue to be the hotspots for dengue infections,? he told reporters after a briefing with health and local authority officers at his office here yesterday.

Lee said the Government remained concerned over the lack of effort shown by some residents in the Klang Valley in controlling the spread of the disease and the breeding of aedes mosquitoes.

?For instance, we have had problems with abandoned houses and barred premises, which proved to be obstacles to health officers checking for mosquito breeding.

?Residents must also keep an eye out on houses undergoing renovations. More often than not, these premises are not taken care of and unwanted materials are just dumped outside the compound and clog up drains.

?We can?t fine or compound these property owners even if the rubbish is found to be a breeding ground for aedes because it is outside their premises.

?The neighbours should instead make sure that the rubbish is collected or disposed of properly because if there is any breeding of mosquitoes, they are the ones at risk of contracting dengue,? he said.

Lee said the ministry was also mulling over the possibility of setting up ?dengue centres?, like those currently set up by the health officers in the Petaling district.

?Our officers establish a 200m radius around a dengue hotspot and methodically carry out fogging, eradication and education programmes.

?But under the dengue centre system, the residents staying within the area are roped into these programmes and then given a map showing the area where cases have surfaced,? he said.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/3/21/nation/17204511&sec=nation

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Malaysia-Dengue

Dengue claims woman's life in Tuaran

Tuaran: Eight dengue cases, including one death, were reported in the district over the past month.

According to a Health Department spokesman, a 60-year-old woman died of haemorrhagic fever and 15 kampungs had been identified as breeding places for the Aedes mosquito.

These were Trayong, Bakut, Selaud, Labuaya, Giling Laut, Rambai, Bontoi, Bawang, Malinsou, Roun, Pekan Tamparuli, Kalipasuan, Soromboton, Guakon and Taman Nabalu.

However, the spokesman assured that the situation was under control and that there was no cause for anxiety.

He said the department had conducted fogging exercises in the affected kampungs to prevent breeding of the Aedes mosquito.

A dengue awareness campaign would also be conducted in Tuaran, Tamparuli, Kiulu and Tenghilan.

On Monday, a fogging exercise was conducted at Kampung Roun, where residents said the Aedes mosquito was found in abundance, especially early in the morning and evening.

A survey showed the area was littered with empty tins that contained water, which served as breeding places for the mosquito.

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=49363

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Malaysia-Dengue

Dengue on rise in Malaysia

Malaysia is seeing a higher death toll from dengue fever this year and the public must do more to fight the scourge, health officials said Wednesday.

The Health Ministry's director of disease control, Hasan Abdul Rahman, said 44 people had died in the first four months of 2007 from 16,214 cases reported, compared to 21 deaths and 10,244 cases in the same period last year.

"We are concerned over the increase and we need everyone to cooperate with the authorities to fight the menace," Hasan told the New Straits Times.

Construction sites are the main breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquito which carries the virus, he said.

"Contractors and land owners must cooperate in destroying breeding grounds," he said.

The ministry's deputy director-general, Ramlee Rahmat, said public complacency and ideal weather conditions for breeding the Aedes mosquito were contributing to the rise in cases.

"We would like people to be more vigilant and to do their part, especially in these types of conditions, where it rains one day and it's hot and dry for two or three days," Ramlee told AFP.

"These are good opportunities for mosquitoes to breed," he said.

Dengue is endemic to Malaysia, which has seen a rise of 16 percent in cases every year since 2003, according to the government.

Fatalities from dengue in Malaysia reached record levels in 2004, when 102 people died.

http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/administration/afp-news.html?id=070502174655.84lyhi82&cat=science

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Malaysia-Dengue

Spotlight: Viral threat from deforestation

What have monkeys got to do with dengue? And what have dogs got to do with hookworm infection? Plenty, it appears, as TERESA YONG found out at a recent seminar on parasitology .

KUALA LUMPUR: Much has been said about the environmental degradation caused by indiscriminate deforestation.

Chopping down trees, however, means much more than just that.

Everyone knows deforestation takes away the natural habitat of all kinds of jungle animals and drives them closer to human habitats.
What most do not know is that these animals put us at more risk from all kinds of diseases.Studies done in 1986 suggest dengue viruses are maintained in a primate cycle involving monkeys and vectors of the aedes (Ae) niveus group.

This raises the possibility that the Ae albopictus mosquito may introduce the sylvatic (primate) virus to humans now that these primates live close to people in the urban areas, said Dr Indra Vythilingam, a research officer and former head of the Parasitology Unit, Institute of Medical Research.

Dengue is a viral disease that is transmitted to humans by two types of mosquitoes, Ae aegypti and Ae albopictus.

First reported in Malaysia in 1902, dengue affects 100 million people worldwide.

Dengue cases had more than doubled from 17,368 in 2001 to 39,654 in 2005. The fatality rate showed a similar trend over the same period, increasing from 50 to 107, according to Health Ministry statistics.

Malaysia has one of the best dengue control programmes in the region and yet cases of dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever are increasing, said Dr Indra.

She presented a plenary paper on Emerging Threats of Vector-borne Diseases in Malaysia at the three-day 43rd Annual Scientific Seminar of Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine and Centenary Celebration of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (UK) here recently.

She pointed out that a number of vector-borne diseases discovered decades ago still persist now. These diseases include malaria, dengue, filariasis and Japanese encephalitis.

Some have become of greater public health importance now than before.

"Dengue is a good example of one that is increasing in the number of cases over the years. It has acquired a higher status since it poses a great threat to the people in urban areas."

Chikungunya, another viral disease, is also resurfacing in Malaysia and the main vectors are the same for dengue. Two outbreaks were reported in Klang in 1998 and last year in Bagan Panchor, Perak.

Malaria, which kills a child every second in Africa, is well under control in Malaysia.

"However, our neighbouring countries are not so fortunate and malaria is a serious problem there. Now, due to good diagnostic techniques, we are seeing simian malaria in humans.

"Perhaps this could lead in the future to simian malaria being transmitted from humans to humans," she warned.

Of the parasitic vector-borne diseases, filariasis is rare in Malaysia. However, of late, an increasing number of cases of Wuchereria bancrofti (which causes elephantiasis) are being imported into the country.

Culex mosquitoes, the main vector, is abundant and they are susceptible to the parasite.

Dr Indra said there was too much emphasis on fogging to kill adult mosquitoes. Instead, she said, the breeding sites should be eliminated.

Dr Indra said the health system must be strengthened so that health workers can provide effective intervention and assess the success in controlling the vector-borne diseases.

Besides deforestation, other factors which increase the risk of vector-borne disease transmission include natural disasters and poorly planned urbanisation which leads to the mushrooming of settlements with poor water supply.

Environmental changes and rapid air travel also directly affect the emergence and resurgence of such diseases, said Dr Indra.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/20070507081308/Article/index_html

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Malaysia-Dengue

May 09, 2007 21:08 PM

Perak Sees 100 Percent Rise In Dengue Fever Cases

KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 (Bernama) -- Perak has registered a 100 percent increase in dengue fever with 53 cases for the April 29-May 5 period compared with 26 cases in the previous week.

A Health Ministry statement released, here Wednesday said overall dengue cases had dropped by 2.7 percent except for Perak, Selangor, Johor, Melaka and Putrajaya.

Selangor recorded eight more cases with 240 (232 previously), the highest while Johor had five more with 58, Melaka had one more with 21 while Putrajaya had three cases when there was none previously.

Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan saw less cases with 102 (117) and 18 (23) previously.

For the April 29-May 5 period, there were 717 suspected cases of dengue fever compared with 737 cases in the previous week of which 674 cases were suspected dengue and 43 cases were suspected dengue haemorrhagic fever cases.

However, of the 717 cases only 208 cases were confirmed positive by dengue serology tests with no death recorded.

The ministry urged all parties to increase prevention and control of dengue fever by conducting checks on breeding grounds for aedes mosquitoes.

The statement said vacant land formed the main breeding ground (7.4 percent) followed by government buildings and factories (5.3), health facilities (4), construction sites (3.4), rubbish dumps (2.7) and schools (2).

A total of 281 notices and 203 summonses were issued against owners of premises over the last fortnight nationwide with fines amounting to RM31,570.

-- BERNAMA

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=261029

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Malaysia-Dengue

Dengue kills 44 people in Malaysia this year

Dengue fever has killed 44 people nationwide in Malaysia in the first four months of this year, an increase of more than 100 percent compared with the same period of last year, a health official said on Sunday.

The country saw 900 suspected dengue cases last week, a record high this year, Malaysian Health Ministry's Parliamentary Secretary Lee Kah Choon said.

The state of Selangor alone reported over 200 cases last week, followed by Kuala Lumpur and Pinang, he told local reporters in Pinang after launching a health campaign in the capital city of Malaysia's northern state of Pinang.

That could be attributed to the erratic weather conditions that encouraged breeding of aedes mosquitoes, he said.

Lee said the ministry was launching several health programs to increase public awareness on the danger posed by dengue, including fogging in high-risk areas.

Source: Xinhua

http://english.people.com.cn/200705/21/eng20070521_376365.html

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Malaysia-Dengue

06 - Malaysia reports 994 dengue cases

Wednesday, June 06 2007 @ 10:01 AM BST

Health

A total of 994 dengue cases were reported in Malaysia last week, Health Ministry Disease Control Director Datuk Dr. Hassan Abdul Rahman has said.

There are 20 areas inspected nationwide, Dr. Hassan said was quoted as saying by the national news agency Bernama on Wednesday.

From May 22 to June 2, Selangor reported 338 dengue cases. Second on the list was Kuala Lumpur with 127 cases while Kelantan 80.

Johor, Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Sarawak reported more dengue cases compared with the previous period.

"Dengue cases in Kuala Lumpur dropped from 145 to 127. Pahang, Melaka, Sabah and Terengganu also showed decreases," Dr. Hassan said.

The Health Ministry has ordered all states and districts to activate their operations rooms, he said.

Dengue fever, a viral infection transmitted by mosquitoes, mostly hits tropical and sub-tropical regions.

The symptoms include high fever, nausea, rashes, backache and headaches. The hemorrhagic variant, which causes severe internal bleeding as blood vessels collapse, is often fatal. (PNA/Bernama)

http://www.bayanihan.org/html/article.php/20070606100146786

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Malaysia-Dengue

Tuesday June 12, 2007

Official says dengue fever cases on the 'high side'

By SIM LEOI LEOI

PUTRAJAYA: For many people there is more likelihood of them catching dengue fever than bird flu.

Parliamentary-secretary to the Health Ministry Datuk Lee Kah Choon said the number of suspected dengue cases in the country remained on the "high side" at around 900 each week.

"Usually, the number of confirmed dengue cases will be around 20% to 30% of this figure so this puts it at an average of 200 to 300 cases weekly, which is quite serious and puts us on par with countries like Singapore.

"This has been the pattern for the country over the past month. It is probably due to the weather we have been facing, that is, rain with intermittent dry spells.

"Rainwater collects and becomes breeding grounds for the aedes.

"The eggs would hatch seven days later and become a menace," he told reporters after opening a seminar on women's obesity and health at Puspanita here on Tuesday.

The ''hot spots'' for suspected dengue cases remained the various urban centres in Kuala Lumpur - where on Sunday, much of the city was under water after a four-hour downpour - and Selangor, added Lee.

On the report by experts that Southeast Asian countries could be facing a surge in dengue cases and that this year could be the worst ever due to climate change, Lee said

Malaysia had recently met with the Singaporean health authorities to exchange views on fighting the scourge.

"We also shared information and research results on the behaviour of the aedes mosquitoes with the Singaporeans. We are also working with the World Health Organisation to control any outbreak.

"We will be attending a few international seminars on this disease and we are carrying our own research at the Institute of Medical Research," he said.

Earlier, when reading the speech by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, Lee said more women in Malaysia had the propensity for obesity as compared to men.

"For every 100 men between ages 25 and 64, 14 will be fat or obese, while for the women, there will be 19," he added.

He said most of us were still depending on our wives and mothers to serve us our meals and added, "So changing our women's attitude about the right nutritional intake will go a long way towards changing our eating habits."

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/6/12/nation/20070612142904&sec=nation

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Malaysia-Dengue

Malaysia On Alert For Dengue As Fatalities Rise

Updated:2007-07-07

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Malaysia has stepped up inspections of homes and construction sites feared to be mosquito breeding grounds in an effort to curb the spread of dengue fever which has claimed 56 lives this year, a report said Saturday (July 7th).

Authorities recorded 25,858 dengue cases nationwide between January and June, up sharply from 16,808 cases in the same period last year, Deputy Director General of Health Ramlee Rahmat told the New Straits Times newspaper.

The number of dengue-related deaths this year has also risen from 46 recorded in the first six months of 2006, causing hospitals and clinics to be placed on alert, the report added.

More than half the cases were reported in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's largest city, and its neighboring Selangor state. Enforcement checks showed that most dengue-carrying mosquitoes breed in houses, construction sites, schools and factories, Ramlee was quoted as saying by the Times.

More inspections have taken place in the past few weeks and more than 15,000 premises have received warnings this year, Ramlee added, according to the report.

Premises found to have stagnant water _ where mosquitoes can breed _ face a fine unless they clear up the water.

Ramlee and other health officials familiar with the issue could not immediately be contacted.

The disease, which causes joint pain, high fever, nausea and a rash, is endemic to the region. In severe cases, it leads to internal bleeding and sometimes death. (AP)

http://e.sinchew-i.com/content.phtml?sec=2&artid=200707070004

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Malaysia-Dengue

Malaysian dengue reaches Kuala Lumpur


The federal government has warned travellers to Malaysia of a Dengue fever outbreak that has spread to the capital city.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade reissued its travel advice to Malaysia today with the updated health warning.

"Dengue fever is prevalent throughout Malaysia, including in major urban areas such as Kuala Lumpur,'' the advice said.

"There is currently an outbreak of dengue fever and it is strongly recommended that you take precautions against being bitten by mosquitoes.''

The health department said Dengue Fever, also known as break bone fever, is extremely debilitating.

It causes a fever lasting three to five days, then an apparent partial recovery before symptoms including muscle pain, in particular backache, vomiting, diarrhoea and rash begin a day or two later.

Many people can carry the disease without showing symptoms.
But a severe complication, Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever, that occurs mainly in children can be fatal.

The outbreak has reportedly claimed dozens of lives in Malaysia.

The health department recommends wearing mosquito repellents and covering up to avoid being bitten by a mosquito and contracting the disease.

The overall threat level for Malaysia, for travellers to exercise caution in most areas but reconsider their need to travel to the east coast of Sabah, has not changed.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/travel/malaysian-dengue-reaches-kl/2007/07/19/1184559939245.html