Government warns of dengue outbreak

Star: The Government has issued a warning that a dengue outbreak is imminent.
Stating this, Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said there was a fear that the number of cases and death toll could be higher than that of last year.
He said the Government had started to use larvicidal biological control in their fogging of dengue-prone areas.
“The biological control agent will kill off mosquito larva in any breeding area.
"Unlike insecticide, this agent will not have the side-effect of causing mosquitoes to be more resistant or even kill off any other insect or animal that feeds on mosquitoes,” he said.
He added that larvicidal control was also being used by Singaporean health authorities to control the outbreak in the island.
Previously, the Government had been using insecticide in their fogging at dengue prone areas.
The AP meanwhile reported in the past week, 752 suspected cases were recorded nationwide compared to the typical weekly average of 400 cases, Chua told reporters.
Most of the cases were in Malaysia's biggest city, Kuala Lumpur, and the states of Selangor and Penang, he said.
"With the number of cases rising we want to warn the people to beware. We want to tell the people that the outbreak is coming," he said.
Health officials have recorded 70 deaths so far this year due to the mosquito-borne disease, compared to 68 in the first nine months of last year.
A total of 102 people died of dengue last year.
"Based on the present trend, the number of deaths this year will definitely be higher than last year's," Chua said.
More than 27,500 people were suspected to have fallen ill this year compared to 21,786 in the first nine months of last year.
Overall, 33,000 suspected cases were recorded last year.
"If the cases continue going up we have to go on a higher gear of alert," Chua said.
Dengue causes high fever and can lead to vomiting, nausea and a body rash.
Dengue fever can also result in severe pain in the joints, and some strains of the virus cause internal bleeding, leading to death.
In neighbouring Singapore, about 11,000 people have been infected with the illness this year, and 11 have died.
Chua said more health inspectors have been deployed in Selangor and Penang states to monitor cleanliness at premises and construction - where an estimated 20 percent of dengue carrying mosquitos breed.
Sites known to have such insects would be ordered to stop work for two weeks until all mosquitos there are exterminated.
A public campaign is being launched to advise people to keep their homes and surroundings clean and free of stagnant water to prevent the breeding of mosquitos.
A total of 2.3 million premises have been inspected nationwide, of which 23,000 were found to have mosquitos, Chua said.
Of them, 12,295 premises - mostly business and construction locations - were fined.
Authorities are also stepping up surveillance in tourist destinations and resorts.
However, Malaysia remains safe for tourists and the government also has no plans to warn Malaysians not to visit Singapore, which is on high alert because of the recent deaths due to dengue.
The U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention has called dengue this year's "most important mosquito-borne viral disease affecting humans" - ahead of malaria and encephalitis - with an estimated 2.5 billion people at risk worldwide.