Weekly dengue cases up 9.3%

Four deaths due to dengue fever complications were reported in the seventh epidemiological week this year, from Feb 12 to 18, says health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

In a statement today, he said the number of dengue fever cases also increased by 9.3% to 2,149 during the same period compared to 1,967 cases in the previous week.

The cumulative number of dengue fever cases reported so far stands at 15,243 compared to 4,950 cases in the corresponding period in 2022 – an increase of 207.9% or 10,293 cases.

"A total of 13 deaths due to dengue complications were also reported compared to one death during the same period last year," Noor Hisham said.

He said 79 hotspot localities were reported last week, of which 53 were in Selangor, followed by Sabah (20), Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (four) and Penang (two).