Malaysia: Dengue Fever/Chikungunya cases

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=29376

Health Ministry issues dengue alert
Husna Yusop

PUTRAJAYA (Jan 19, 2009) : The Health Ministry today issued a dengue alert yesterday, with worrisome statistics.

Dengue cases have more than doubled so far this year with 3,211 cases reported nationwide from Jan 1-17 compared to 1,514 cases in the same period last year.

At the same time, there were eight dengue-related deaths compared to four last year, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican told a Press conference, adding he was worried that people were not serious in taking preventive measures although the disease is preventable.

"We must declare an all-out war on dengue and chikungunya so that people know this is a major problem," he told a press conference at the ministry today, saying 63% of dengue cases were reported in the Klang Valley.

As for Chikunkunya, 364 cases were reported until Jan 17 with majority of the cases in Selangor, Kelantan, Perak, Johor, Kedah, Pahang and Penang.

Ismail said dengue cases have been on the rise all around the world due to several factors namely human activities, urbanisation and climate change.

"According to the information received, 80% of the areas with dengue cases have a high rate of Aedes breeding sites. Since dengue is caused by Aedes bites, the most effective measure is to get rid of these sites.

"Fogging activities are only effective to kill adult mosquitoes. The larvae would not be killed by the fog, therefore the public must be active in checking their premises and destroy all breeding sites," he said, adding it only takes 10 minutes a week for this while advising community leaders to organise gotong royong to clean up their areas.

He said immediate measures must be taken by the public while the ministry has spent RM1.7 million on awareness campaign through the media.

Ismail also said healthcare personnel in both government and private clinics have been advised to be on the alert and issued with the refined Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) on the Management of Dengue Infection to ensure early diagnosis on dengue cases.

"Now, dengue cases come with different presentations like epileptic, jaundice, hepatitis and organ failure, so people don?t realise it is dengue. This atypical presentation is not like the standard cases of fever, bleeding or low-plate blood count.

"Because of this, some of the diagnosis were made very late. That?s why we have informed all our doctors to be aware. If someone has fever and comes from dengue-infested areas, always do extra testing for dengue," he said, while advising patients to come early to seek treatment if they have symptoms of dengue.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j5JUW88dS00NSSNnedxkTvIv9r0Q

Malaysia alarmed as dengue cases double in new year: report

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) ? Malaysian authorities have sounded an alarm over a spike in dengue fever cases, which have doubled in the new year with eight deaths so far, reports said Tuesday.

Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai urged local councils and the public to take action after 3,211 people were infected with the mosquito-borne virus from January 4-17, compared to 1,514 cases and four deaths a year ago.

"We are taking dengue fever cases very seriously because the numbers have doubled compared to the same time last year," the Star newspaper quoted Liow as saying.

"The cooperation that we are getting is not good enough. We need to take immediate action," he said.

Health ministry official Ismail Merican told the paper that the ministry was also receiving reports of unusual symptoms in more severe dengue cases.

"Patients used to suffer from bleeding and low platelet count but now you can get dengue encephalitis that affects the brain, and people can come in with epileptic attacks, jaundice, hepatitis and kidney or liver failure," he said.

"We have informed all our doctors to add dengue testing if a patient has fever and weird symptoms."

Officials said the high number of cases was attributed to an increase in mosquito breeding grounds like abandoned housing projects and even occupied homes.

The illness is endemic in Southeast Asia with Malaysia seeing cases surge since 2003.

Last year there were 49,335 dengue fever cases in Malaysia with 112 deaths, compared to 48,846 cases with 98 deaths the previous year.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/National/2458957/Article/index_html

2009/01/21
Ministry's losing war on dengue
By : Shuhada Elis

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry yesterday took Klang Valley residents to task for a disappointing response to the "war" against dengue.
Its Deputy Minister, Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad, said the lack of public cooperation had contributed to the increase in dengue and chikungunya cases.

"The issue here is that city dwellers refuse to get involved in gotong-royong. They think only residents' associations or city councils are responsible for maintaining cleanliness and checking on Aedes breeding sites in their areas."

He said urban residents had a lackadaisical attitude to the problem, thinking that they would not get bitten by the Aedes mosquito.

"They think that others will get the virus but they won't.'
On Monday, the ministry revealed that Kuala Lumpur and Selangor had the highest number of dengue cases over the first 17 days of the year.

Selangor recorded 1,727 cases with four deaths while Kuala Lumpur had 307 cases with one death.

The numbers were far higher compared to the same period last year.

Dr Abdul Latiff said although the awareness campaign on dengue and chikungunya seemed to succeed in other states, the response in the Klang Valley proved otherwise.

"We are going all out to fight the viruses but if the people are not worried about their health, then we don't know what else to do."

Dr Abdul Latiff said the ministry would fine occupants with Aedes breeding grounds.

"We are not planning to increase the fine but we need to emphasise the Communication for Behavioural Impact (Combi) programme to obtain public cooperation," he said, adding that there were 11,892 Combi volunteers nationwide.

A total of RM3.4 million in fines was collected last year from those found to have Aedes breeding grounds in their homes.

Dr Abdul Latiff was speaking to reporters after launching the "I Care Vision 20/20" project at the Tun Hussein Onn National Eye Hospital.

The project, in its second phase, aims to train kindergarten teachers to identify eye problems among children aged between 2 and 6.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/National/2460301/Article/index_html

2009/01/22
More dengue cases reported

KUANTAN: More dengue cases were reported in Pahang this month, with 83 confirmed cases up to Monday. This was 3.8 per cent higher than the 80 cases reported for the same period last year.

In all cases, the patients were believed to have been infected in their neighbourhood.

State Health director Datuk Dr Rosnah Ismail said 25 chikungunya cases were also reported with the highest number in Raub (nine) followed by Kuantan (four); Maran and Bera (three each); Jerantut (two) and one case each in Temerloh, Pekan, Rompin and Lipis.

There were 343 chikungunya cases reported last year.

To reduce the number of cases, Dr Rosnah said the department had done fogging at 43,803 locations and conducted checks at more than 19,000 premises.

She said Aedes larvae were found on 278 premises and action had been taken against the owners.

She urged the public to check their premises every week to ensure these places did not become breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=385886

January 24, 2009 16:24 PM

Dengue Cases Rising, Public Advised To Be Cautious

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 (Bernama) -- The public should be more alert and take added precautions to combat dengue as the number of cases of the disease is showing a steep increase, said Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai.

He said based on the latest statistics, a total of 4,221 cases with 12 fatalities were reported between Jan 1 and 23, which was almost double the 2,153 cases and five deaths recorded during the corresponding period last year.

Liow said the majority of the cases happened in the Klang Valley, with Kuala Lumpur recording 409 cases with two deaths in the first three weeks of this month compared to only 270 cases the same period last year.

"I urge the public to give its full cooperation to the Health Ministry to wipe out this menace," he told reporters after handing over Chinese New Year "ang pows" to inmates of the Valley of Hope home at the Leprosy Control Centre in Sungai Buloh here today.

He said besides the Klang Valley, other states, particularly Penang and Kedah were also recording a higher number of dengue cases lately.

From Jan 1 to 23, Penang recorded 245 cases (for the same period last year it was 100 cases) while Kedah reported 128 cases (65).

As for Chikungunya, 458 cases were reported from Jan 1 to 23 with the majority occurring in Selangor (109), Kelantan (85) and Perak (96).

On a separate issue, Liow gave the assurance that peanut butter and peanut paste imports from the United States would be subjected to stringent Level 5 Food Safety Information of Malaysia (FoSIM)) checks at all entry points

Cable News Network (CNN) on Tuesday carried a report which quoted the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA)as saying there was the possibility that some of the products might be contaminated with Salmonella typhimurium, a bacterium that can lead to an outbreak of an infectious disease which can cause deaths among children, the elderly and those with low immunity.

The report said some 500 people had contracted the disease in the US and is believed to have caused the deaths of six US citizens.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/25/nation/3115282&sec=nation

Sunday January 25, 2009
Selangor tops list as dengue cases continue to rise

KUALA LUMPUR: The number of dengue cases in the country has continued to climb with 12 deaths from the 4,221 cases recorded since Jan 1.

?I hope everyone will cooperate with us to get the situation under control,? Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai told reporters after handing out ang pow to more than 100 Valley of Hope residents here yesterday.

Selangor remains the state with the highest number of cases at 2,223 with five deaths, compared to 751 cases and one death in the same period last year.

There were 409 cases with two deaths in Kuala Lumpur compared to 270 cases and no casualties in the same period last year.

There were 245 cases reported in Penang and 128 cases in Kedah, compared to 100 and 65 cases in the respective states during the same period last year.

Liow said chikungunya cases had also spiked, totalling 458 as of Friday with Selangor topping the list with 109 cases.

Perak had 96 cases and Kelantan 85.

On Monday, Liow declared war on dengue and called on everyone, including local councils and the public, to work together.

When asked what he thought was the cause for the sudden spike in the number of cases, he replied: ?It could partly be due to the weather, but it?s also due to the lack of hygiene and sanitary measures.?

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/world/01/25/09/spike-dengue-cases-could-hit-malaysian-economy-report

Spike in dengue cases could hit Malaysian economy: report

Agence France-Presse | 01/25/2009 11:52 AM


KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's health minister says the doubling of dengue fever cases could hit the country's economy with 4,221 cases and 12 deaths in the first three weeks of the year, reports said Sunday.

Liow Tong Lai told the Star daily there were only 2,223 people infected by the mosquito-borne virus and five deaths for the same period last year.

"The increase is worrying. The high number of cases can affect productivity, the tourism industry and, ultimately, our economy," he told the paper.

"I hope everyone will cooperate with us to get the situation under control," he added.

Liow said many of the cases occurred in the capital Kuala Lumpur, which recorded 409 cases and two deaths in the first three weeks of the year compared to 270 cases for the same period last year.

Officials said the high number of cases was attributed to an increase in mosquito breeding grounds such as abandoned housing projects and even occupied homes.

"It is also occurring more in adults than in children," the health ministry's top official Ismail Merican told the paper, saying the public also had to chip in to eradicate mosquito breeding grounds as spraying pesticides, known as fogging, would not solve the problem entirely.

"We are just fighting the mosquitoes and still losing the bigger war. People think if they inform the ministry and fogging is done, they can sleep easy. But fogging will only kill adult mosquitoes. The larvae is still there," he said.

Dengue fever is endemic in Southeast Asia with Malaysia seeing cases surge since 2003.

Last year there were 49,335 cases in Malaysia with 112 deaths, compared to 48,846 cases with 98 deaths the previous year.

as of 01/25/2009 11:52 AM

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=386608

January 29, 2009 19:37 PM

Dengue, Cikungunya Still Under Control, Says Health DG

KOTA BAHARU, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- The epidemic on dengue and cikungunya in the country is still under control and has yet to reach a critical stage, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said today.

He said both the diseases recorded a drop of 35.4 per cent or 2,343 cases last year.

"The situation now is under control and not critical, although quite worrying," he told reporters at a briefing at the Nursing College here.

He believed that the situation would improve if there was cooperation and concerted efforts from everybody to prevent the spread of the diseases by keeping their surroundings clean and free from breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Dr Ismail said no death from dengue or cikungunya had been reported so far this year.

Last year, 120 people died due to dengue fever in the country, including 10 in Kelantan, he added.

Meanwhile in KUALA TERENGGANU, State Health director Dr Nordiyanah Hassan said a total of 103 dengue cases, including four dengue haemorrhagic fever, had been detected in Terengganu this month.

She said the number was high although it dropped by 18.9 per cent from 127 cases reported in January last year.

Most of the dengue cases reported in the state this month were in the Kuala Terengganu district (42.7 per cent), followed by Kemaman (20.4 per cent) and Dungun (15.5 per cent), she said in a statement issued here today.

She said a total of 1,713 cases of dengue fever, including three deaths, were reported last year, from 1,279 cases, also with three deaths, in 2007.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jKgR-ZeJxFLWmlDvLjDhDCazTJ_g

Malaysia battling worst-ever dengue outbreak

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) ? Malaysia said Friday it was battling its worst ever outbreak of dengue fever, with 14 deaths and some 5,062 cases of the mosquito-borne disease so far this year.

The crisis, which is centred on Kuala Lumpur and populous Selangor state surrounding the capital, compares to just five deaths and 2,855 cases in the same period a year ago.

"This is the worst outbreak ever but this is not just a Malaysian problem, but a global problem," health ministry director-general Ismail Merican told a press conference.

Ismail said that despite the crisis, householders were refusing to allow local authorities to enter their premises to conduct pesticide "fogging" to kill the aedes mosquito which transmits dengue fever.

He urged residents to keep their environment clean and remove rubbish and pots that collect water where mosquitoes can breed.

"It is important for the public to come together to destroy the mosquito breeding grounds," he said.

Malaysia's health minister has warned that the dengue outbreak could damage the economy by discouraging tourism and lowering productivity.

Dengue fever is endemic in Southeast Asia and cases in Malaysia have surged since 2003.

Last year there were 49,335 cases in Malaysia with 112 deaths, compared to 48,846 cases with 98 deaths the previous year.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/1/31/central/3150903&sec=central

Saturday January 31, 2009
45 cases of dengue in Setapak

IN Kuala Lumpur, the Setapak zone has the the highest number of dengue cases with 45.

According to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall health department vector control unit, so far 163 cases had been reported this month.

The number of cases in the other areas are City Centre (25), Kepong (30), Old Klang (30), Cheras (28) and Damansara (5). The health department said in Kuala Lumpur, places with high density like Setapak, had a higher number of cases compared with the rest.

The City Hall health department said the control and prevention method was on going to reduce the number of dengue cases.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Frontpage/20090201173413/Article/index_html

2009/02/01
Report all dengue cases, orders Health Minister
Bernama
SHAH ALAM, SUN:

Doctors of private and government clinics have been instructed to report all dengue fever cases to the State Health Department, even if it is only a suspected case, to allow preventive measures to be implemented quickly.
Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said a doctor did not have to wait for the case to be confirmed before submitting a report.

?What is happening now is that private clinics are waiting up to four to five days for disease confirmation before sending a report, which makes it difficult to take action to control the epidemic,? he said at a news conference after launching the War Against Dengue campaign at a flat in Section 7, near here, today.

Meanwhile, Liow, who is also MCA vice-president, said the ministry had prepared a working paper on ways to get cooperation of other ministries to overcome the problem of Aedes breeding grounds in neglected houses.

He said drastic action was needed to detect and destroy Aedes breeding grounds to prevent the epidemic from spreading, as the 14-day notice issued by local authorities to house owners was too long.

?If we discover that a vacant house is a breeding ground, we need to change this procedure (14-day notice) to allow health officers quick entry to take action,? he said.

Liow added, based on the latest statistics, 2,821 dengue cases had been reported to the Selangor Health Department in the first four weeks of the year, making Selangor the state with the highest number.

He said the Petaling district reported 973 cases, or 34 per cent of the overall cases in the same period. ?There are 37 areas in Petaling identified as areas with prolonged dengue cases exceeding 14 days, and 73 per cent of the areas are within jurisdiction of the local authority,? he said.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/2/2/central/3173604&sec=central

Monday February 2, 2009
Selangor records rise in dengue cases

SECTION 7 in Petaling Jaya is a dengue hotspot with 156 cases reported as of last week. Topping the list in the area is Flat C and Flat A which reported 68 and 50 dengue cases respectively.

Other hotspot areas in Selangor are Taman Kajang Perdana (66), Taman Sepakat Indah Zone 1 (54), Taman Kooperasi Cuepacs Mile 12 (47), Section 8, Bandar Baru Bangi (39), Taman Cheras Jaya (33) and Taman Industri Mega (36), all located within the Kajang Municipal Council.

In Shah Alam, the hot spot areas are Padang Jawa (54), Section 25 (33) and Pangsapuri Anggerik Section 16 (32) while in Gombak the areas are Taman Sri Gombak Zone 3 (40), Bandar Baru Selayang F2 (37) and Kampung Laksmana (32).

The dengue hotspots in Kuala Lumpur are Menara Orkid, Bandar Baru Sentul (16), Sentul Utama Flats (15), Taman Setiawangsa (10) and Bandar Sri Permaisuri (7).

Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican, who released the statistics on Friday, said Selangor had a total of 2,391 dengue cases, the highest in the country as at Jan 24.

Kuala Lumpur-Putrajaya had 436 dengue cases while Negri Sembilan recorded 94.

Selangor also topped the list in the number of chikungunya cases with 116 cases while Kuala Lumpur-Putrajaya had 28 with Negri Sembilan having nine.

Dr Ismail hit out at some residents who refused to co-operate with health officers who were carrying out inspections.

?They refuse to allow the officers into their premises to check for aedes larvae and even close their windows during fogging,? he said, adding that the health officers were empowered to issue compounds up to RM500 to those who do not keep their compounds clean.

For more information on dengue and chikugunya, visit the Health Ministry?s website www.moh.gov.my

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/2/3/central/3171597&sec=central

Tuesday February 3, 2009
14 dengue hot spots identified in Shah Alam
By SALINA KHALID

THE National Dengue Task Force has identified 14 residential areas in Shah Alam as hot spots for dengue.

They are among the 48 hot spots that have recorded the highest number of dengue cases in Selangor since Jan 1.

The 14 Shah Alam areas make up 30% of the total hot spots identified in Selangor, making the state capital the second on the red alert list, after Kajang which has 16 hot spot locations.

There are seven hot spots in Petaling Jaya, five in Gombak, two in Subang Jaya, two in Hulu Langat, and one each in Hulu Selangor and Sepang.

The Shah Alam hot spots are located mainly at the developed areas of the capital city and they have continued to record new cases for more than a month.

The affected areas are located at Padang Jawa C (36 cases), Section 26 (33), Pangsapuri Anggerik Section 16 (32), Section 25 (27), Section 11 (23), Jalan 18/3 Flats (20), Padang Jawa B (19), Taman Alam Indah in Section 33 (17), Section 20 PKNS Flats (15 cases), Section 6 Flats (12), Section 27 (9), Section 13 Perdana Apartment (9), Section 8 (8) and Section 10 (6 ).

Of the reported cases, 161 have been confirmed with one case of haemorraghic dengue fever.

According to Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) public relations officer Shahrin Ahmad, the MBSA has inspected 3,252 places, including residential premises, commercial areas, schools, factories, kindergartens, construction sites, abandoned housing projects, playgrounds and other recreational spots throughout the city.

?We had found aedes mosquito- breeding ground at 240 premises and had issued 137 summonses under the Local Government Act 1976 which carries a fine of RM500,? Shahrin said.

?We have also fogged 165,889 pre-mises,? he said.

Despite the almost annual outbreaks of dengue and the intensive government campaigns to raise awareness on the need to curb the breeding of aedes mosquitoes, many residents are still indifferent to the risks involved in allowing aedes mosquitoes to breed in their premises.

The dengue figure seems to increase each new year, with Shah Alam having the notorious reputation as one of those on top of the dengue chart. It certainly is an image the MBSA can do without.

Public apathy is obviously among the major reasons contributing to the critical state of affairs.

?Most of the people do not clean and properly maintain their water tanks, corridors and gutters at their houses which provide breeding grounds for the aedes mosquito,? Shahrin said.

?Some don?t even dispose of their garbage properly which aggravates the situation,? he said.

Shahrin said in addition to constant inspections at premises in the city, the MBSA also distributed fliers and brochures to raise awareness on the issue and to remind the people on their role in combating the aedes mosquitoes.

He said the MBSA would work closely with schools and residents associations in a campaign to combat dengue in the city.

?But the most important factor is that everyone should do his or her part in resolving the problem. They cannot just leave everything to the authorities. They need to play a significant role in the war against dengue,? Shahrin said.

?All it takes is only 10 minutes each week to ensure that their premises are free of aedes mosquito- breeding sites,? he said.

According to the National Dengue Task Force, within the first month of this year, dengue had already claimed 14 lives, with 5,062 cases reported, compared with only five fatalities and 2,855 cases for the corresponding period last year.

The task force had recorded 49,335 cases throughout the country last year, with 112 deaths, compared with 48,846 cases, including 98 deaths, in 2007.

Selangor recorded the highest number of cases of 1,196, while Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya together have 48 cases.

Of the 48 neighbourhoods in Selangor, only Taman Cheras Jaya and Taman Semenyih Indah have organised voluntary gotong-royong this year to clean up their areas, while none of the other locations has implemented any remedial measures.

Many households in the affected areas have also refused to allow the local authorities to conduct pesticide fogging to kill the aedes mosquitoes that transmits the dengue fever.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/2/3/southneast/3160166&sec=southneast

Tuesday February 3, 2009
Dengue still prevalent
By ROSLINA MOHAMAD

KUANTAN: A total of 83 dengue cases have been reported in Pahang as of Jan 19, a slight increase compared to the 80 cases recorded in the same corresponding period last year.

Kuantan topped the list with 41 cases followed by Jerantut (10), Bera (six), five each in Temerloh and Maran, four each in Pekan and Raub, three each in Bentong and Rompin, two in Lipis and none in Cameron Highlands.

State health director Datuk Dr Rosnah Ismail said, to date, no deaths had been reported.

Eight locations were identified as problematic ? seven in Kuantan and one in Jerantut, she added.

?The department has implemented four strategic measures to combat the problem including monitoring of control and prevention, mobilising the community to increase cleanliness campaigns and destroying mosquito-breeding grounds,? she said in a statement released here recently.

Dr Rosnah added that fogging had been carried out at 43,803 premises while search and destroy activities were enforced at 19,522 places.

A total of 278 premises were found to be aedes breeding grounds, she said.

As for chikungunya cases, Dr Rosnah said that 25 cases were reported in the same period.

?There were nine cases in Raub, four in Kuantan, three in Maran, three in Bera, two in Jerantut and one each in Temerloh, Pekan, Rompin and Lipis.

?A total of 343 chikungunya cases were reported in 2008,? she said.

Dr Rosnah urged everyone to cooperate with the department to prevent and control the disease.

All they needed was 10 minutes every week to check their compounds and destroy places that could be mosquito-breeding grounds, she said, adding that garbage must also be discarded properly.

People were also encouraged to use abate to kill larvae and to go to the nearest clinic if they had fever, she said.

?This is important for those who live in dengue areas,? Dr Rosnah said.

People should also allow the department?s personnel to fog inside and outside their homes and hold gotong royongs on a regular basis, she said.

To date, 11 gotong royongs involving 1,883 people had been held, she added.

Dr Rosnah said that those who violate the law could be fined up to RM10,000 or jailed up to two years, or both, and that the department had issued 85 compounds amounting to RM9,600.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/2/3/southneast/3173855&sec=southneast

Tuesday February 3, 2009
Gotong-royong way to fight dengue

MALACCA: The Malacca government has instructed its assemblymen, local councillors and village development and security committees to organise gotong royong activities every fortnight from February to combat the spread of dengue and chikungunya.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the programme to clean areas under their respective jurisdictions would be the best way to prevent the spread of the diseases.

?Although Malacca is ranked 13th in the country for dengue, we have to ensure it does not spread,? he told reporters after chairing the state executive council meeting at Kompleks Seri Negeri, Ayer Keroh, on Thursday.

In another development, Mohd Ali said the Youth and Sports Ministry had agreed to buy the go kart circuit built by the state on a 14ha site in Ayer Keroh.

The 1.7km circuit, built at a cost of RM40mil, would begin operations next month. ? Bernama

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=387156

February 02, 2009 17:45 PM

Join Fight Against Dengue, People Urged

SEREMBAN, Feb 2 (Bernama) -- The Negeri Sembilan state government has called on the people to join in the fight against dengue and chikungunya.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the people should join forces with the Health Department in eradicating aedes by destroying the mosquito breeding grounds in their houses and the surrounding areas.

"They could also organise gotong-royong the clean up their housing areas, business premises and public places," he said at the state civil service monthly assembly here today.

"It takes only 10 minutes to clean up the compound of your houses. This is part of our responsibilities to safeguard the health of our families and the community," he said.

A total of 1,401 dengue cases, with three deaths were reported in Negeri Sembilan last year.

-- BERNAMA

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/20/asia/AS-Malaysia-Dengue.php

Dengue deaths soar in Malaysia despite gov't drive
The Associated Press
Published: March 20, 2009

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Dengue fever has killed 33 Malaysians this year and sickened more than 12,000, a health official said Friday, a dramatic increase that is defying intense efforts by the government to curb infections.

Dengue infections through March 16 this year have spiraled from the 8,212 cases recorded in the same period last year, while fatalities more than doubled from the 14 deaths in 2008, said Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai.

"The epidemic must be stopped and calls for the cooperation of all quarters," Liow told a news conference in northern Malaysia, according to the national news agency Bernama.

Liow's aide, Lim Chau Leng, confirmed the minister's comments.

A long rainy season, unsanitary conditions and stagnant water collected in items like flower pots, cans and litter have created fertile breeding grounds for mosquitoes that transmit the disease, Liow said. He blamed "the apathetic attitude of the people of not taking care of the cleanliness of their homes."

The ministry launched a massive campaign in January to advise people to rid their homes of items that attract the insects and to quickly seek medical treatment if they have symptoms of the disease, which include high fever, joint pains and nausea.

In severe cases, the dengue virus can lead to internal bleeding, liver enlargement, circulatory shutdown and death. There is no known cure or vaccine.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/NewsBreak/20090325194122/Article/index_html

2009/03/25
Dengue, chikungunya cases rise despite intensive enforcement ops
By : Annie Freeda Cruez

KUALA LUMPUR, Wed.:

Another two people died of dengue last week, raising the death toll to 35 so far this year.
The deaths were reported in Selangor and Negri Sembilan.

Director-General of Health Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said the situation was worrying, with the number of cases and deaths increasing despite intensive enforcement operations.

Between January 1 and March 21, a total of 12,933 dengue cases were reported nation wide, compared with 8,666 cases, and 16 deaths, during the same period last year.

Selangor topped the list with 6,893 cases followed by KL-Putrajaya (1,161), Perak (1,123), Johor (652), and Penang (634).

Dr Ismail said dengue hotspots had increased from 64 the previous week to 80 last week and almost 93 per cent of them were located in Selangor. He said 1,029 cases, with two deaths, were reported in Selangor last week, an increase of 41 cases over the previous week.

?Gotong-royong activities have not been satisfactory. We need public cooperation to fight the dengue menace,? he said, adding that 90 per cent of aedes mosquitoes were breeding in residential houses and shops.

The ministry issued 440 compounds, totalling RM85,900, last week to owners of premises where aedes mosquitoes were found breeding. It also issued notices to 369 owners to clean up their premises.

Dr Ismail said Chikungunya cases were also on the rise, with 1,071 cases re ported until March 21.

 

[e_armigeri]

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

50% dengue case increase, 100% dengue fatality increase in 3 months.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=401326

April 02, 2009 22:14 PM

Dengue, Chikungunya Cases On The Rise - Dr Ismail Merican

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 (Bernama) -- Dengue claimed another three victims last week as the number of cases continued to rise from 1,029 the previous week to 1,175 last week (March 22-28), the Health Ministry said.

Health Ministry Director-General Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said two of the victims were from Selangor while the other was from Negeri Sembilan.

"In 2008, there were 19 deaths recorded, compared with 38 deaths for the same period this year.

"Selangor recorded the highest number of deaths with 25, followed by Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya with five each, Negeri Sembilan (4), Johor (2) and one each in Pahang and Sabah," he said in a statement here Thursday.

He added that states like Penang, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Sarawak, Terengganu, Johor, Selangor and Sabah recorded an increase in the number of dengue cases last week.

As for Chikungunya, 45 cases were reported throughout the country last week, compared with 36 the previous week, raising the number of cases for this year to 1,117 but no deaths were reported, he said.