Chua: No more dengue soon

NST: Start the countdown. In a month's time, the current dengue outbreak in Malaysia could be over.
This bold prediction was made by Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek after he received an update on the disease which has so far killed 85 people and given anxiety attacks to many others around the country.
The number of dengue cases last week was 542, down from 824 cases the week before and a long way off the 1,172 cases four weeks ago. Usually, an epidemic is declared when there are more than 1,000 cases a week.
"We are proud of this, but the people must continue to be vigilant because it is still the rainy season.
"If we can maintain the downward trend, then all dengue cases may cease in a month's time," Dr Chua said.
Dengue is carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Symptoms include fever, severe headache, joint and muscular pains, vomiting and rashes.
Last week, two people died of dengue, bringing to 85 the number of people who have died from the disease this year. This is an increase by four cases over the same period last year.
The cumulative number of cases this year was 33,492 compared to 26,252 last year.
Health Ministry Disease Control Division director Dr Ramlee Rahmat said the latest deaths last week were that of a 3-month-old baby girl from Desa Baiduri, Penang and a 67-year-old man from Tanah Merah, Kelantan.
"There are still 228 patients in hospitals but it is a marked decrease from five weeks ago.
"In five weeks we have seen a drop in the number of cases, so it is a sign that the national dengue rate is going down," Dr Ramlee said today.
He said the Health Ministry and local authorities would continue monitoring dengue hotspots and conduct fogging to prevent mosquitoes from breeding by killing the Aedes mosquito and its larvae.
"We urge people to co-operate by leaving their windows open whenever the fogging machine comes around, so that the pesticide can clean out any larvae in the house."
He said there were also reports about households turning away officials on fogging rounds.
"People complain they don't like the smell and they don't want to contaminate their food.
"But there are simple steps to follow like covering the food.
"The smell also won't last long as the chemicals are water-based," he said.