KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is seeing an upward trend in dengue cases with an average increase of eight per cent each week, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today.
He described the rising trend as alarming and should serve as a reminder that the country should not neglect the fight against dengue, even as it has its hands full battling the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Yesterday (June 15) was the 10th Asean Dengue Day with the theme '10 minutes to destroy Aedes', aiming at encouraging the people and the community to be more hands-on in dengue prevention, including in cleaning and destroying potential breeding grounds at home.
"Such activities can still be done (in current circumstances) by practising the new normal such as keeping at least one-metre apart from each other; wearing face masks and washing hands with soap and water on a regular basis.
"It only takes at least 10 minutes to clean your surroundings and destroying breeding grounds of Aedes mosquitoes to protect yourself and your loved ones," he added.
According to the Health Ministry, Malaysia recorded 88 dengue fatalities from Jan 1 to June 13.
As of June 15, a total of 50,988 dengue cases were recorded nationwide.
Selangor has the highest number of cases at 28,741, followed by Kuala Lumpur (5,083), Johor (4,680), Sabah (2,454) and Perak (1,899).