Malaysia: Dengue Fever/Chikungunya cases

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Source: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=355511
August 27, 2008 16:51 PM

Four Dengue Related Deaths Reported Last Week

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 27 (Bernama) -- Four deaths due to dengue fever were reported one each in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Johor in the Aug 17-23 period, the director of the Disease Control Division of the Health Ministry, Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman, said in a statement here Wednesday.

He said in the same period 1,003 cases of dengue fever were reported representing a drop of 36 cases from the previous week.

"Although there is a drop in cases it is still about 10 per cent higher than the same period last year when there were 910 cases and 31 per cent higher than the targeted figure of 765 cases," he said in a statement Wednesday.

Dr Hasan said seven states and the federal territories of Putrajaya and Labuan had recorded increases in dengue cases. The seven states are Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor, Terengganu and Kelantan.

He said the states and the federal territories had 74 per cent or 743 cases of the total cases reported and to date a total of 29,942 cases of dengue fever with 71 deaths had been reported.

He said inspections by the Health Ministry and local authorities revealed that residences and shops were primary breeding grounds of the Aedes mosquito that spreads the dengue fever.

"Inspections also show that notorious breeding grounds were construction sites, garbage dumps, playgrounds, empty land lots and schools," he said.

Dr Hasan said although the practice of clearing mosquito breeding sites was still not highly practised by communities, the Health Ministry and local authorities were steadfast in their efforts to bring awareness of the need to do so.

He said through enforcement a total of 245 compound notices amounting to RM42,700 and 251 notices for clearing breeding grounds were issued last week.

"The dengue fever is spread through the bite of the Aedes mosquito and fogging is just a stop gap measure to control the spread. So the people are urged to help in the fight against the Aedes mosquito," Dr Hasan said.

-- BERNAMA

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/n...Malaysian_states_record_rise_in_dengue_cases_

Malaysian states record rise in dengue cases
Health News

Sep 4, 2008, 7:07 GMT

Kuala Lumpur - Eight of Malaysia's 13 states have recorded an increase in the number of dengue fever cases in the past week, health officials said Thursday.

The eight states - consisting of the southern states of Johor and Malacca; the northern states of Terengganu and Kelantan; the central states of Putrajaya, Selangor and Pahang; and Sarawak state on Borneo -made up 74 per cent of the total 1,014 cases recorded nationwide from August 25 through Sunday, said the Health Ministry's disease control director Hasan Abdul Rahman.

The total number of cases recorded this year was 30,956 with 71 deaths, Hasan was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

Last year, 35,164 dengue cases with 74 deaths were recorded from January to August.

Hasan said that while the level of public awareness of the disease was high, 32 per cent of patients sought treatment within three days of exhibiting dengue fever symptoms, a percentage he described as low.

'This is why the majority of the cases are detected late, and they are the cause of the spread of the disease to others,' he said.

The symptoms of dengue, which is carried by the aedes mosquito, include high fever, rashes, headaches, and muscle and joint pain. If not detected and treated early, the disease can be fatal.

The government has been holding campaigns to educate the public as well as conduct checks for mosquito-breeding sites on residential and construction sites to try to stem dengue cases.

Despite the efforts, the number of cases and deaths continues to rise each year.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=361135

September 24, 2008 20:37 PM

Dengue Cases On The Rise

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry expressed concern over the rise in number of dengue cases for the past week (Sept 14-20) as 915 cases, including two deaths were reported, compared with 837 cases reported during the previous week.

Director of the Health Ministry's Disease Control Division Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman in a statement issued Wednesday said the number was an 8.5 per cent or 78 cases increase from the previous week.

Dr Hasan said from the total Selangor, Johor, Perak, Terengganu and Sarawak accounted for 631 cases.

"Though the public are aware of the dangers posed by dengue, many are still not careful in preventing Aedes mosquitoes from breeding. They should by all means prevent a conducive breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes," he said in the statement.

He added that however, the overall number of cases to date, 33,558 was 12.48 per cent lower than the 37,745 cases reported for the same period in 2007.

Dr Hasan said 270 compounds amounting to RM43,780 were issued and another 318 warning notices for cleaning their premises had also been issued by the enforcement unit throughout the country.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/27/nation/20080927171812&sec=nation

Saturday September 27, 2008 MYT 5:20:07 PM
Blood supply low in hospitals
By HAH FOONG LIAN

IPOH: The dengue outbreak in Perak has badly hit the blood supply in hospitals here and in the Manjung district, which recorded the highest number of dengue cases.

Calling on the public to donate blood at the Hospital Raja Perempuan Bainun here and at the Seri Manjung Hospital, Perak Health, Environment and Human Resource Committee chairman A. Sivanesan said:

?The blood bank?s supply is depleting. The situation is bad.?

Sivanesan pointed out that the supply of blood was normally low during festive seasons because of road accident cases.

?But coupled with the increasing number of dengue cases in the state, the supply is badly hit,? he said.

He said the public could go to the hospitals at any time to donate blood.

It had been reported that Perak recorded four dengue deaths in the first nine months of the year with all cases reported in the Manjung district.

The Manjung district had recorded the most number of dengue cases in the state.

The public can go to the Hospital Raja Perempuan Bainun on Monday and Tuesday from 8am to 5pm and from 8pm to 10pm to donate blood.

The hospital is also open for blood donations on the first and second day of Hari Raya from 1pm to 6pm.

Alternatively, call the hospital at 05-5222637.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/10/9/nation/20081009172314&sec=nation

Thursday October 9, 2008 MYT 5:37:17 PM
Dengue serious in Manjung, Perak: Health Minister

SERI MANJUNG: The dengue situation in the Manjung district in Perak is very serious with four deaths reported to date, Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said.

He said patients turning acute and dying suddenly from the disease was abnormal.

He further commented that the rise of dengue haemorrhagic fever to up to 50% of total cases was also unseen before this.

?It is very serious. We need to raise the alarm on this and take action,? he said at the Seri Manjung Hospital here during a special visit to assess the dengue situation in the district.

He said that between Aug 18 and Oct 5 alone, 314 people had been suspected of dengue and admitted into the hospital here and the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh.

Liow, however, noted that whatever pre-emptive or drastic measures taken by the ministry to eradicate dengue would be futile without the public?s involvement.

He said the public must take part in efforts carried out by being concern for their own hygiene and living compounds.

Earlier, during a briefing, state Health director Datuk Dr Ahmad Razin Ahmad Mahir said, as at Oct 6, a total of 621 dengue cases had been reported in the district.

?The cases have also become more serious than usual,? he said.

Noting that some had expressed concern that swiftlet hotels were breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes, Dr Ahmad Razin said it was mere speculation as there was no real evidence to link the two.

At a press conference later, Liow said seven-year-old Toh Guan Hee who died in Taiping last week had suffered from hand, foot and mouth disease but it was unconfirmed if he died from the deadly Enterovirus 71 (EV71) strain of HFMD.

Meanwhile, Liow said the ministry had banned another food product from China after it was found to contain excessive levels of melamine.

?The ministry has instructed all stores selling Vigour 888 Filling Roll to take it off their shelves and to destroy them,? he said.

The cream stick, he said, contained 4.71 parts per million (ppm) compared with 2.5ppm, the level permitted by the ministry.

On another matter, Liow said RM1.8mil would be spent on changing the air-conditioning system at the Air Keroh polyclinic, which was infested with mould.

He said the mould had occurred due to condensation of water arising from a faulty air-conditioning duct.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/National/2385310/Article/index_html
2008/10/25

Public apathy causes spike in dengue cases

PUTRAJAYA: In just six days, 961 dengue cases were reported in the country. The Health Ministry's disease control division director Datuk Dr Hassan Abdul Rahman said Selangor topped the list with 353 cases reported between Oct 12 and 18.

He said that several states reported an increase in dengue cases. Among them were Perak with a 214 per cent increase, Terengganu (78.9 per cent), Putrajaya (50 per cent), Selangor (49.6 per cent), Johor (44.8 per cent) and Sabah (20 per cent).

However, only one death was reported last week, bringing the number of dengue-related deaths this year to 81. Since January, 36,991 dengue cases had been reported.

He blamed public apathy for the situation.Ministry officials and district councils found that 78.9 per cent of Aedes breeding grounds were in houses and shops, he said.

The Aedes index was high at road dividers (38.8 per cent), playgrounds (17 per cent), empty lots (11.1 per cent) and construction sites (5.8 per cent).

Dr Hassan said the ministry had distributed 68,665 leaflets on preventing dengue at Aedes-prone locations. A total of 316 compounds worth RM55,665 had also been issued. He urged the public to spend 10 minutes every week to locate and destroy mosquito breeding spots around their house.

 

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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/2399481/Article/index_html

2008/11/12
Dengue cases drop by 55 pc

KUANTAN: Stricter enforcement and better cooperation from the public have helped reduce the number of dengue fever cases in the state this year by more than 55 per cent.
As of Nov 8, only 1,044 cases were recorded, compared with 2,338 cases within the same period last year.

Only one death was reported this year compared with four fatal cases throughout the corresponding period last year.

State Health director Datuk Dr Rosnah Ismail said 54 per cent of the dengue fever cases were reported in Kuantan and Temerloh.

"We are focusing on these two areas to reduce the number of cases further," she said at the presentation of "Free from Dengue" badges to boy scouts from 23 schools here yesterday.
The students received the badges from Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob.

Dr Rosnah said health officials had checked a total of 423,699 premises in the state this year and found 5,276 to contain dengue mosquito breeding grounds.

"Our records show that 90 per cent of the victims were infected with dengue fever at home," she said, adding that only 30 per cent sought treatment within three days of having the fever.

She said the delay in getting treatment would lead to complications and, in some cases, the victims could succumb to the disease.

Such a delay could also spread the disease, as the victims could be bitten by other Aedes mosquitoes, which would transfer the virus to others in the neighbourhood.

On the boy scouts, Dr Rosnah said a special dengue eradication programme involving the youth was introduced at three schools here in 2006.

She said the boy scouts acted as agents to help people become more aware about the disease and take action to stop it from spreading.

They also check premises and destroy potential breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquitoes.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/National/2403277/Article/index_html
2008/11/16

Rise in dengue cases in Negri

SEREMBAN: The number of dengue cases in the state has increased by six per cent over last year, with 1,176 cases recorded to date.
Of the total, there were 1,135 cases of dengue fever, while 41 were of dengue haemmorrhagic fever. Of this, two deaths due to dengue haemorrhagic fever were reported in Jempol and Port Dickson.

State health department director Zainal Ariffin Omar said between Nov 2 and 8, there were 23 cases identified, reflecting a rise of almost 10 per cent, compared with the previous week.

He also said that in the same week, four dengue hotspots were identified in three localities in Seremban and one in Port Dickson, namely Sri Mawar Flats (four cases), Kg Sentosa Blok A, Paroi (two) and Taman Rasah Jaya (two) and the Teacher's Quarters in Lukut, PD (three).

Zainal added that among the districts, Seremban recorded the highest number of cases with (784), followed by Port Dickson (108), Jempol (105), Rembau (59), Tampin (56), Kuala Pilah (38) and Jelebu (26).

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/NewsBreak/20081202194528/Article/index_html
2008/12/02
50 more dengue fever cases recorded

KUALA LUMPUR, Tues:

Fifty more dengue fever cases were recorded nationwide from Nov 16-22 bringing the total to 1,121.

No death was recorded, Health Ministry disease control director Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman said in a statement today.

More cases were recorded in Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan, Johor, Terengganu and Sarawak.

Dr Hasan said the rise in dengue cases was due to lack of efforts to destroy mosquito breeding grounds.

Inspections by local authorities found that 79 per cent of the premises breeding mosquitoes were houses or shophouses.
Some 1,766 compound fines amounted RM61,300 and 447 clean-up notices were issued last week.

There were 1,071 dengue fever cases recorded the previous week including two deaths. ? BERNAMA

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/NewsBreak/20081217184826/Article/index_html

Three deaths, 1,273 dengue cases reported in one week
Bernama

PUTRAJAYA, WED:

Three people died from dengue fever while 1,273 cases were reported from Nov 30-Dec 6, the highest recorded in one week this year.

Health Ministry disease control director Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman said in a statement here today, 98 people had died from dengue this year with 44,494 cases reported.

The 1,273 cases recorded was an increase of 207 from the previous week.

Selangor recorded the highest with 640 cases followed by Johor (102), Kedah (65), Sarawak (50), Pahang (42), Kelantan (31), Sabah (23), Perlis (13) and Putrajaya (13).

Dr Hasan attributed the sudden increase in cases to lack of clean-up activities and the rainy spell that encourages breeding of the aedes mosquito.
?Fogging also did not meet our target due to lack of cooperation from residents. Of the 591,883 houses that should be fogged, only 313,698 or 53 percent could be done properly.

?The same goes for gotong-royong to clean up the areas. Of the 64 planned, only 23 or 36 percent had been carried out,? he said.

Forty-six talks, 31 dialogue sessions and 53,537 leaflets had been distributed. Fines amounting RM12,650 and 78 clean-up notices had also been issued.

On Chikungunya fever, Dr Hasan said the weekly cases reported had dropped by two cases from 128 to 126.

The cases were in Kelantan (39), Selangor (24), Perak and Johor (both 23), Negeri Sembilan (5) and Melaka (3).

?Chikungunya cases reported this year stood at 3,706 with no death. Some 78 percent of the patients were treated as out-patients. Only 828 cases or 22 percent needed hospital treatment,? he added.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/12/18/southneast/2828898&sec=southneast

Thursday December 18, 2008
Alert on dengue
By SIMON KHOO

BENTONG: The health authorities have raised the alarm on dengue haemorrhagic fever as it has claimed 98 victims this year.

Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the number of dengue fever cases too had shot up to 36,000 up to last month.

?We view this development very seriously as the disease is considered a threat to the people.

?I hope the public will take prompt action to rid their homes and surroundings of mosquito breeding sites.

?We must not take things for granted and we must prevent the situation from worsening,? he said at the closing of the Bukit Tinggi carnival near here recently.

Liow, who is also Bentong MP, said the Government would enhance public awareness on the danger of Aedes mosquitoes.

He said they would rope in the media, distribute pamphlets and brochures aggressively to spread the message to reduce more deaths.

?Inspections carried out by health officers showed that over 78% of the breeding grounds were in homes and shoplots.

?We will also give equal importance to chikungunya illness which is also caused by mosquitoes,? he said, adding that the illness could also be a major threat if precautionary action was not taken from now.

Liow said records up to November showed that 4,000 cases of chikungunya were reported nationwide but the illness rarely resulted in death.

He believed that many cases were not reported as the public lacked knowledge on the illness, especially pertaining to its symptoms and causes.

He urged those who developed high fever for days to visit the nearest doctor for proper diagnosis and prompt treatment.

?I advise these patients not to seek alternative treatments from the bomoh or mediums,? he said.

Chikungunya has symptoms similar to dengue fever and manifests itself with an acute febrile phase which lasts between two to five days.

Subsequently, the patient will experience prolonged pain of the joints for weeks or months.

Other symptoms include a petechia rash of the trunk and occasionally the limbs, arthralgia or arthritis affecting multiple joints, headache, conjunctival infection and slight photophobia.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=379141

December 18, 2008 14:53 PM

100 Have Died Of Dengue Fever This Year

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 18 (Bernama) -- Dengue fever claimed two more victims last week, bringing the number of fatal cases in the country to 100, said the Ministry of Health in a statement today.

Director, Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health, Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman in the statement today said the figure was slightly higher than the 96 deaths registered for the same period last year.

Of the total, 41 deaths were recorded in Selangor from the 19,368 cases reported, amounting to 42 per cent of the total.

He added that 1,155 dengue cases were reported in Selangor and Terengganu last week (Dec 7-13) and also resulted in two deaths but claimed that it was 118 cases less than the 1,273 recorded the previous week.

He said four states had recorded an increase in the number of cases, compared with last week, when Labuan registered a 100 percent increase while Perak (62 percent), Putrajaya (8 percent), Terengganu (8 percent) and Kelantan (3 percent).

Dr Hasan said inspections carried out by the Ministry and local councils showed that houses and shops accounted for 83 percent of the breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquitoes.

He also said in the statement that 158 Chikungunya cases reported for the same period (Dec 7-13), raised the total number of cases for the year to 3,864 but did not result in any deaths.

From the total, 79 percent were detected through Serology tests and 77 percent of the patients needed only outpatient treatment while 23 percent or 873 affected cases required treatment in hospitals, said Dr Hasan.

"The disease spreads through mosquito bites, especially Aedes mosquitoes, so everyone must ensure that their houses, compounds and public areas are clean," he said.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/Frontpage/20081226204030/Article/index_html

2008/12/26
Six more deaths due to dengue
Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, FRI:

Six people died of dengue last week, raising the death toll to 106 this year but chikungunya has claimed no lives so far, Health Ministry?s Disease Control Director Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman said today.
He said in a statement that dengue cases recorded in the Dec 14-20 period rose 105 to 1,260 compared to the previous week and 537 higher than the target.

?There were six deaths during the week, namely three in Selangor, two in Perak and one in Kuala Lumpur,? he said. The number of deaths last year was 97.

He urged the public to find and destroy Aedes breeding grounds inside and outside their houses for 10 minutes every week and allow fogging in their homes.

In terms of enforcement, he said, 315 compound fines totalling RM58,950 and 352 notices were issued.

In a separate statement, Dr Hasan said 119 Chikungunya cases were reported nationwide in the Dec 14-20 period compared to 158 previously.

The new cases involved 91 localities comprising Kedah (35 cases) Kelantan and Johor (21 cases each), Selangor (20 cases), Perak (10 cases), Pahang (four cases), Negeri Sembilan (three cases), Kuala Lumpur and Perlis (two cases each) and Putrajaya (one case), he said.

To date, 3,984 chikungunya cases had been reported and no one had died as a result, he said.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/12/27/nation/2901090&sec=nation

Six dengue deaths last week takes toll to 106 this year

KUALA LUMPUR: Six people died of dengue last week, raising the death toll to 106 this year, but chikungunya had claimed no life so far, said the Health Ministry?s Disease Control Director Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman yesterday.

He said dengue cases recorded in the week from Dec 14 rose 105 to 1,260 compared with the previous week and 537 higher than the target.

There were six deaths during the week - three in Selangor, two in Perak and one in Kuala Lumpur. The number of deaths last year was 97.

Dr Hassan urged the public to find and destroy Aedes breeding grounds inside and outside their houses and allow fogging in their homes.

In terms of enforcement, 315 compound fines totalling RM58,950 and 352 notices were issued during the period, he said in a statement.

On chikungunya, Dr Hasan said 119 cases were reported nationwide during the same period compared with 158 previously.

The new cases involved 91 localities in Kedah (35 cases), Kelantan and Johor (21 each), Selangor (20), Perak (10), Pahang (four), Negri Sembilan (three), Kuala Lumpur and Perlis (two each) and Putrajaya (one case), he said.

To date, 3,984 chikungunya cases had been reported and no one had died from it, he said. ? Bernama

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://thenutgraph.com/112-people-died-dengue-last-year

112 people died from dengue in 2008
8 Jan 09 : 4.59PM

PUTRAJAYA, 8 Jan 2009: Some 49,335 dengue fever cases with 112 deaths were reported in 2008, a one percent rise from the 48,846 cases with 98 deaths the previous year.

Health Ministry disease control director Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman said 1,157 cases with four deaths were reported from 28 Dec to 3 Jan. The two death cases were in Johor while Selangor and Malacca had one each.

"Although the cases dropped 9% drop from the 1,269 over the previous week, four states recorded a rise namely Melaka (31%), Sarawak (31%), Perak (17%) and Terengganu (14%)," he said in a statement here today.

Selangor had the most cases with 595 followed by Perak (100), Kuala Lumpur (87), Johor (69) and Penang. No cases were reported in Labuan.

On preventive measures, Hasan said only 63% of the 209,185 homes earmarked were subjected to fogging and that only 11 cleaning up activities had been done compared to the 107 planned.

The ministry also issued 147 compound fines amounting RM17,500 and served 235 notices to clean-up.

On Chikungunya fever, Hasan said 4,271 cases were reported last year with no fatalities.

He said 77% of the cases involved out-patient treatment with only 1,108 cases needed hospital treatment.

For 28 Dec - 3 Jan, some 103 cases were reported in 82 localities in Kedah (25 cases), Selangor (22), Johor (18), Perak (18), Pahang (12) and Kelantan (8). ? Bernama

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/11/nation/20090111132809&sec=nation

Updated: Sunday January 11, 2009 MYT 7:23:04 PM
Penang concerned about ?alarming? malaria rate
By K. KASTURI DEWI

GEORGE TOWN: Penang is concerned about the ?alarming? rate of malaria cases in the state with 13 cases reported in the first week of the new year.

State Health, Welfare and Caring Society Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said of the 13 cases, only one involved a Malaysian while the rest were foreign workers, mainly Myanmars, who worked in the construction industry.

?The cases detected were mainly concentrated in the Bukit Gambier area, Bukit Papan in Bayan Lepas, Bukit Serai in Paya Terubong and the construction sites of the Surin-Bolton Apartments project and the Taman Ratu Mutiara project in Tanjung Bungah,? he told reporters after attending a cheque presentation ceremony for 12 charitable organisations at the Penang Che Hoon Khor Moral Uplifting Society (CHKMUS) here on Sunday.

CHKMUS had raised RM160,000 at the Harmony Charity Food Fair held on Dec 7 last year which was presented to 12 charitable organisations.

Phee said most of the foreigners were believed to have contracted the vector-borne disease at hills and jungles where their workers? huts are located.

?The next morning, when these workers come downhill for work purposes, they also indirectly help spread the disease to locals,? he said.

Phee said the state Health Department was taking precautions by carrying out fogging at the affected sites while the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) was sending out officers to the ground, especially at hill sites, to destroy mosquito breeding grounds.

He advised residents living in hill sites to ensure the cleanliness of their surrounding areas and also to go to the nearest hospital for blood tests and vaccine shots if they suspected they had contracted the disease.

?The state also wants employers at fruit orchards, plantations and construction sites to get their foreign workers vaccinated and to contact the authorities as soon as possible so that immediate measures could be taken to contain the spread of the disease,? he said.

He also urged clinics and doctors to co-operate and to alert the state health authorities if they came across any such cases.

?These foreign workers especially the illegal ones, may try to avoid detection for fear of being deported but the state is more concerned about their health rather than their legal status,? he said.

Phee also said the state was closely monitoring the three reported chikungunya cases here especially those in the sensitive areas in the North-East, South-West and Central Seberang Prai (SPT) districts.

?The first week of the year also saw 60 dengue cases being reported with nine confirmed cases,? he said.

He said the state Health Department and the MPPP were taking the necessary measures by carrying out fogging and clean-up activities.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/2450603/Article/index_html

2009/01/12
Dengue, malaria on the rise

GEORGE TOWN: An alarming number of malaria and dengue cases have been reported.
State Health, Welfare and Caring Society Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said 194 people had malaria last year and one died, the highest number in five years.

The Sungai Puyu assemblyman said 2,329 cases of suspected dengue were reported last year and 784 were confirmed. In the first week of this year, 60 suspected cases were reported, with nine confirmed.

"Most of the reported cases involved foreigners, especially Myanmars working in plantations and construction sites," he said after a cheque and ang pow presentation at the Chee Wee Khor Moral Uplifting Society yesterday.

Phee said most cases were reported in southwestern district, especially in Bukit Gambir and Bukit Papan in Bayan Lepas, Bukit Serai in Paya Terubong and Taman Ratu Mutiara in Tanjung Bunga.

 

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Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/1/15/central/2997179&sec=central

Thursday January 15, 2009
Dengue menace in Kajang Perdana

RESIDENTS of Kajang Perdana came out in full force last Sunday morning, not for any social outings - but to fight a battle against the mosquito menace in their area.

They had a reason for doing so as Kajang has recorded the highest dengue cases last year with 1,730 and Kajang Perdana alone was considered a critical area when three members of a family were hospitalised.

According to Kajang municipal councillor S.T. Chandramohan the residents especially those at the low-cost apartments, where the first dengue cases were reported, decided to clean up their areas when Kajang Perdana was considered a ?hotspot?.

?The statistics was enough to create an awareness among the residents on the importance of keeping their surroundings clean,?? said Chandramohan.

Although only 55 residents had initially signed up for the ?gotong-royong? exercise at the low-cost apartment area.

More people joined in later to help out to clear the drains which was found to be the main source of breeding grounds for the mosquitoes.

MPKj president Datuk Hasan Nawawi Abd Rahman joined the residents in the early morning ?workout? and left soon after to join residents in other areas in the municipality in the gotong-royong programme which is being simultaneously carried out state-wide.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/16/nation/20090116194034&sec=nation

Published: Friday January 16, 2009 MYT 7:41:00 PM
Dengue cases on the rise, four more deaths recorded

PUTRAJAYA: The first week of the new year saw four victims succumb to dengue fever from a total of 1,633 cases recorded, the Health Ministry said in a statement Friday.

The 1,633 cases reported from Jan 1 was an increase of 476 cases from the 1,157 cases reported a week before that.

The Ministry's Disease Control Director, Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman said Perlis registered the highest increase in percentage followed by Sabah (136), Kelantan (96), Penang (65), Pahang (57), Kuala Lumpur (49), Selangor (47), Sarawak (40), Terengganu (38), Johor (22), Perak (12) and Kedah (4).

"Two of the four who died were from Selangor while one each from Johor and Kuala Lumpur succumbed to the disease," he said in the statement.

He added that inspections carried out by the Ministry and the local council's showed that 72 percent of premises identified as Aedes breeding grounds were houses or shops.

"Constructions sites, government offices, empty land lots and graveyards have also been identified as popular breeding grounds," he said.

Dr Hasan said for the same period, 159 Chikungunya cases were also reported but there were no casualties.

He added that 312 summons were issued to offenders, totalling RM50,100 while 410 were issued warning notices. - Bernama
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[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

Re: Malaysia: Dengue Fever cases

DENGUE CASES UP BY 112 PERCENT

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 19 (Bernama) -- A total of 3,211 dengue fever cases with eight deaths have been reported for the Jan 4-17 period, a 112 percent increase from the 1,514 cases with four deaths over the corresponding period last year.

Director-General of Health, Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said despite the 3.4 percent drop in the second week, the number of cases reported remained high.

"Majority or 63 percent of the cases were in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur while there was an increase in Penang, Johor, Sarawak and Kedah," he told reporters here today.

For Chikungunya fever, 364 cases were reported over the same period with majority in Selangor, Kelantan, Perak, Johor, Kedah, Pahang and Penang.

Dr Ismail contributed the rise in cases to an increase in aedes breeding brought by the rainy spell and lack of clean-up activities to prevent and control the spread of dengue.

-- MORE

DENGUE-RISE 2 (LAST) PUTRAJAYA

He said the Health Ministry had spent RM1.7 million on a campaign to stop the breeding of aedes mosquitoes via the print and electronic media two weeks ago by urging the public to destroy aedes breeding grounds once a week.

It had also launched phase two of the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) where doctors at government and private hospitals were asked to detect dengue early to reduce death.

The public should clean their environment using the Communication For Behavioural Impact (COMBI) programme that had been proven to reduce dengue by 84 percent.

There are 11,892 COMBI volunteers in 598 localities nationwide.

Dr Ismail said death because of dengue could be reduced if the patients were given prompt treatment.

He attributed this to the low dengue awareness of only 34 percent among patients, three days after infection.

http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/bnm/20090119/tts-dengue-rise-bm-993ba14.html