Report: Malaysia on alert for Dengue Fever as fatalities rise
Pastor Dale Morgan
Report: Malaysia on alert for Dengue Fever as fatalities rise*
AP - Saturday, July 7
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia has stepped up inspections of homes
and construction sites feared to be mosquito breeding grounds in an
effort to curb the spread of dengue fever which has claimed 56 lives
this year, a report said Saturday.
Authorities recorded 25,858 dengue cases nationwide between January and
June, up sharply from 16,808 cases in the same period last year, Deputy
Director General of Health Ramlee Rahmat told the New Straits Times
newspaper.
The number of dengue-related deaths this year has also risen from 46
recorded in the first six months of 2006, causing hospitals and clinics
to be placed on alert, the report added.
More than half the cases were reported in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's
largest city, and its neighboring Selangor state. Enforcement checks
showed that most dengue-carrying mosquitoes breed in houses,
construction sites, schools and factories, Ramlee was quoted as saying
by the Times.
More inspections have taken place in the past few weeks and more than
15,000 premises have received warnings this year, Ramlee added,
according to the report.
Premises found to have stagnant water _ where mosquitoes can breed _
face a fine unless they clear up the water.
Ramlee and other health officials familiar with the issue could not
immediately be contacted.
The disease, which causes joint pain, high fever, nausea and a rash, is
endemic to the region. In severe cases, it leads to internal bleeding
and sometimes death.