Crucial to detect dengue in time

Star: PUTRAJAYA: Hospitals with a high number of dengue cases must set up dengue management teams to detect cases early and prevent deaths.
Health Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Ismail Merican said previous teams set up at the Kuala Lumpur and Klang hospitals proved effective in checking dengue cases early, which helped prevent deaths.
The team comprised specialist doctors, trained nurses and laboratory assistants.
Dr Ismail said suspected dengue patients would be placed in special wards and treated separately.
“The doctors and nurses are trained and will know the early warning signals and what to expect.
“They can monitor laboratory tests to find out which patients are going to land in trouble,” he said after chairing a meeting with state health directors and child specialists at the ministry here yesterday.
States that have been recording dengue cases, he said, are Selangor, the Federal Territory, Penang, Pahang and Johor.
Dr Ismail said this year, there were 10,036 dengue cases with 98 deaths until Nov 19, and the number of cases was declining.
“The deaths were mainly due to patients coming in late,” he said.
Although the number of dengue cases has declined, Dr Ismail said, the ministry was still not satisfied with the level of cleanliness.
Local authorities, he added, should ensure fogging was carried out in housing areas according to the standards set by the ministry.
“If some houses are not fogged due to the absence of the residents, the authorities must go back to these houses later to ensure the work is completed,” he said.