JOHOR BAHRU, July 3 — Dengue death rate in the state has shown a significant increase in the first six months of the year, with 20 deaths being recorded compared to 15 deaths for the same period last year.
State Health and Environment Committee chairman R. Vidyananthan said according to statistics released by the Johor State Health Department, 5,107 dengue cases were reported from Jan to June 27 compared to 5,142 cases, for the same period last year.
“The decrease of 35 dengue cases compared to last year is not significant. Instead, there is an increase in dengue deaths. As many as 20 deaths were reported compared to 15 deaths for the same period last year,” he said in a statement today on the current state of dengue cases in Johor.
Vidyananthan said as many as 34 new dengue outbreak localities were reported in the 26th week which brings the current number of active outbreak localities to 91.
He said Johor Bahru recorded the highest dengue cases with 80.2 per cent, followed by Kulai (3.9 per cent), Kluang (3.7 per cent), Segamat (3.3 per cent), Batu Pahat (2.4 per cent), Mersing (2.1 per cent), Kota Tinggi (1.4 per cent), Muar (1.1 per cent), Pontian (0.9 per cent) and Tangkak (0.9 per cent).
He said the main contributing factors for dengue proliferation in the state include the neglect of environmental hygiene, especially the irregular and improper garbage disposal habits that provide potential containers for breeding Aedes mosquitoes.
In this regard, Vidyananthan said the community should always maintain the cleanliness of the surrounding area and immediately remove mosquito breeding grounds outside or indoors by ensuring that there are no small pools or containers with standing water that can become breeding grounds.
“People also need to participate in the destruction of the Aedes through the community program that is part of the ‘War on Dengue’ campaign. If you have a fever, immediately seek treatment at a nearby health clinic. Any delay can be fatal,” he said.
Vidyananthan said at the same time, the Johor State Health Department also hoped that people would always get the right information from reliable sources before transmitting any information about dengue.
Sources: BERNAMA