[Think Insights with Google MY Newsletter] Dengue on the Rise (Feb 13, 2015)
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February 13, 2015 | by Yau Chuan Ng, Industry Analyst |
Dengue On the Rise Dengue cases are on the rise in Malaysia. According to the World Health Organization, the number of dengue cases in Malaysia increased by 85% compared to 2014 as of late Jan 2015. In Selangor alone, the number of cases has increased by 75% year-on-year. In fact, we see the same thing on Google Search, with dengue searches growing 118% in 2014 year-on-year. | ||
A lot of studies have shown that the prevalence of dengue tends to be positively correlated with rainfall, or the climate in general. Because of this, we were surprised to find that searches for dengue tend to increase when rainfall decreases, and vice versa. Why is this happening? The answer may be that Malaysians only begin searching for dengue when they fall sick, which typically happens right after a period of heavy rainfall and massive mosquito infestation. Indeed, if we break down why Malaysians are searching for dengue, we see that searches for dengue symptoms are 28X higher than searches for dengue prevention steps. When they search for dengue, most Malaysians are trying to diagnose or understand dengue symptoms. One might argue that only a small set of ill Malaysians should worry about symptoms; but prevention should be everyone’s concern. In that sense, this data reflects our somewhat reactive mindset about combating the disease. Enjoy the weekend, be safe, and be healthy. Hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter! | ||
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