A total of 130,101 dengue fever cases (with 182 death) were recorded from January until Dec 28 last year, the highest in history for Malaysia. There was also a spike in dengue cases in many neighboring countries. The World Health Organisation’s Dengue Situation Update report showed an increase in Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and China by between one and eight times higher compared to the previous year. Many cases were also recorded in places that used to be dengue-free.
According to WHO, before 1970, only nine countries had experienced severe dengue epidemics compared to 100 currently.
The CPRC reported that last year's dengue figures (up to Dec 28) in Malaysia showed an increase of 49,486 cases (61.4%) compared with 80,615 cases in 2018 during the same period. There were 147 deaths in 2018. Meanwhile, 990 Chikungunya cases and one positive Zika case were reported from January to Dec 28 last year.
Rising temperatures across Asia and the Americas have contributed to multiple severe outbreaks of dengue fever globally, making 2019 the worst year on record for the disease.
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