Selangor tops list as dengue cases continue to rise

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The number of dengue cases in the country has continued to climb with 12 deaths from the 4,221 cases recorded since Jan 1.
“I hope everyone will cooperate with us to get the situation under control,” Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai told reporters after handing out ang pow to more than 100 Valley of Hope residents here yesterday.
Selangor remains the state with the highest number of cases at 2,223 with five deaths, compared to 751 cases and one death in the same period last year.
There were 409 cases with two deaths in Kuala Lumpur compared to 270 cases and no casualties in the same period last year.
There were 245 cases reported in Penang and 128 cases in Kedah, compared to 100 and 65 cases in the respective states during the same period last year.
Liow said chikungunya cases had also spiked, totalling 458 as of Friday with Selangor topping the list with 109 cases.
Perak had 96 cases and Kelantan 85.
On Monday, Liow declared war on dengue and called on everyone, including local councils and the public, to work together.
When asked what he thought was the cause for the sudden spike in the number of cases, he replied: “It could partly be due to the weather, but it’s also due to the lack of hygiene and sanitary measures.”