GEORGE TOWN: The Health Ministry has advised the people to take precautionary measures in view of the heightened risk of dengue fever cases during the monsoon season.
Its minister, Dr Zaliha Mustafa said there was a noticeable increase in mosquito-borne diseases across several states, including Selangor, Penang, Perak, Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak.
"We have seen lately in this monsoon season that there are areas of stagnant water and so on.
"Therefore, the trend of dengue disease is also increasing. We advise the people to be concerned about this matter and be more vigilant in taking care of their surrounding.
"If you have the symptoms, please seek immediate treatment at nearby health facilities," she said when met at the state-level Madani Afiat programme and Healthy Malaysia National Agenda Tour (ANMS) here today.
Dr Zaliha stressed that it was important to eradicate Aedes breeding grounds, especially in areas with stagnant water, to stop the spread of the epidemic.
"Society's failure to take appropriate preventive measures may lead to worse consequences, including the potential risk of fatalities.
"If preventive measures are not taken, we fear that this disease will increase and can lead to death," she added.
Earlier, Dr Zaliha said health screening was an important aspect in the implementation of the Madani Afiat programme, aimed at detecting and preventing the risk of non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
She said half or 50 per cent of patients were unaware of their conditions.
"At a more serious level, it is feared that it can result in complications to important organs such as kidneys, eyes and heart," she said.
Penang marked the seventh state to implement the Madani Afiat programme following successful launches in Melaka, Perak, Johor, Terengganu, Kedah and Selangor.