Weekly dengue cases down 5.4%

The number of dengue fever cases in the 17th epidemiological week (ME 17) from April 22 to 29 this year dropped by 102 cases or 5.4% to 1,775 from 1,877 the previous week.

Health director-general Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said no deaths due to dengue fever complications were reported during the period.

"The cumulative number of dengue fever cases reported so far is 36,997, an increase of 24,056 cases or 185.9% compared to 12,941 cases for the same period last year," he said in a statement today.

Radzi said there were 103 hotspot localities reported in ME 17 compared to 116 the previous week, with 58 in Selangor, 25 in Penang and seven in Sabah.

Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya recorded six localities, followed by Perak (five), and Kedah and Sarawak (one each).
 
Meanwhile, on surveillance for the chikungunya virus, he said there were four cases reported in ME 17 with two cases in Selangor and one each in Kedah and Perak, taking the cumulative number of cases to 1,242.

"As for the zika virus surveillance, a total of 973 blood samples and 37 urine samples were screened, and the results were all negative," he added.