Dengue Update: Weather conducive to Aedes

NST: For the second consecutive week, the number of new dengue cases exceeded 1,000.
And even more are expected in the next few weeks given weather conditions.
The Government had earlier said that an epidemic would be declared if the number of dengue cases surpassed 1,000 a week.
Last week, there were 1,201 cases with four deaths; up by 178 from the previous week’s 1,023 with two deaths.
The Health Ministry’s disease control director, Dr Ramlee Rahmat, said the current weather, alternating between heat and rain, was conducive to the breeding of Aedes.
He warned that if the authorities and homeowners did not clear collected rainwater and dispose of rubbish and containers, more people would be hospitalised with dengue.
Last week’s toll brought the number of dengue cases between Jan 1 and Oct 8 to 29,820, with 76 people dead. In the same period last year, there were 28,290 cases with 73 deaths.
The latest victim was a 30-year-old production executive with BASF Petronas in Gebeng, Kuantan, who died of dengue haemorrhagic fever on Saturday at the Kuantan Hospital.
Dr Ramlee said the executive had gone for a holiday in Kuala Langat, Selangor, and upon his return fell ill on Oct 4 and was hospitalised the following day at the Kuantan Medical Centre.
On Oct 8, when his condition worsened, he was transferred to the Kuantan Hospital where he died the same day.
In Seremban, Bernama reports that the hospital here cancelled the contract of a company for allowing the premises to become a breeding ground for the Aedes mosquito.
Seremban Hospital director Dr Zailan Adnan said the company had been engaged to build a new wing.
He was commenting on the summons issued to the hospital on June 2 after it was found to be a breeding ground for the mosquito.