Fight now turns to dengue

Star: KUCHING: Having contained the spread of the hand, foot and mouth (HFM) disease, the Sarawak health authorities are now battling dengue fever, which has claimed the lives of three adults recently.
Two women and a man are believed to have died of dengue haemorrhagic fever between March 12 and 16, said Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam.
They were from Kampung Baru Daro in Sibu, Sg Bakong in Miri, and Jalan Mahkamah Meradong in Sarikei.
He said the state recorded a big jump in the number of suspected dengue cases, at 580 (of which 110 were confirmed) so far this year compared with 1,411 (with five deaths) for the whole of last year.
Sarikei Division tops the list with 226 cases, followed by Kuching Division (166) and Miri Division (54).
“The trend is worrying,” Dr Chan told reporters at his office at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here yesterday.
He said the health authorities had stepped up enforcement and had inspected almost 92,000 premises for aedes breeding grounds.
The authorities had also carried out fogging in more than 63,500 premises.
On HFM, Dr Chan said there were 61 new cases and 20 hospital admissions yesterday.
Dr Chan said a 19-month-old girl was airlifted from Kapit hospital to Sibu hospital, but her condition was stable.