Govt Sounds Alert As Number Of Dengue Cases Rises

PENANG, Nov 17 (Bernama) -- The government has placed itself on alert after the number of dengue cases reported throughout the country last week breached the 800 mark, Parliamentary Secretary to the Health Ministry Datuk Lee Kah Choon said Friday.
He said the ministry has placed the North East District in Penang on alert after the most number of cases in a district were reported there. He did not disclose the number of cases.
The number of cases reported for the whole country the week before that was almost 800, when the safe level would be less than 600, he told reporters.
No deaths from dengue were reported last week in the whole country, he said after presenting prizes to pupils who excelled in the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination in his parliamentary constituency of Jelutong, here.
Lee said the ministry was awaiting results of laboratory tests to determine the actual number of dengue cases among the cases reported, adding that he hoped it would be small.
Meanwhile, he said, the people should take steps to ensure that their houses and other premises were kept clean and free of empty cans and unused tyres that could collect water and enable the Aedes mosquito, carrier of the dengue virus, to breed.