Weekly dengue cases up 4.3%, 1 death recorded

The number of dengue fever cases increased by 101 cases, or 4.3%, to 2,349 cases in the 34th epidemiological week (ME34), for the period Aug  20 to 26, compared to 2,248 cases in the previous week.

Health director-general Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said one death was recorded due to dengue fever complications during the period.

He said the cumulative number of dengue fever cases recorded to date was 78,277 cases, compared to 36,703 cases in the corresponding period in 2022, which is an increase of 41,574 cases, or 113.3%.

"A total of 55 deaths due to dengue fever complications were reported compared to 22 deaths for the same period last year, which is an increase of 33 deaths," he said in a statement today.

He said 82 hotspot localities were reported in ME34, compared to 74 the previous week, with 51 localities in Selangor, 22 in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, two each in Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Kelantan, and Sabah, and one in Penang.

On Chikungunya surveillance, Radzi said three cases were recorded in ME34, bringing the cumulative number of cases to date to 159.

For Zika surveillance, he said 2,114 blood samples and 167 urine samples were screened, and the results were all negative.