PETALING JAYA, June 21 — A rise in the number of dengue cases is imminent due to the hot season, says the Malaysian Association of Environmental Health (MAEH).

MAEH spokesman Veeramohan Supramaniam said this higher water temperatures would stimulate the eggs to hatch as the larvae are “agitated by higher temperatures”.

“Do not misunderstand that without rain, there will be less breeding. Breeding will continue, especially in urban areas, due to water evaporation in highly condensed places. It only takes a droplet of water to allow the eggs to hatch,” he added.

“During this dry season, mosquito activity will be at its highest during the mornings when temperatures are cooler, not so much in the evenings.”

He added that as long as hotspots were not identified and destroyed, dengue carrier mosquitoes would continue to multiply.

“The public needs to be aware that the transmission takes place outdoors, not within homes,” he said.

“We must identify these outdoor hotspots with high human traffic and warn the authorities about them. The virus is easily carried and studies have shown the virus is from major cities.”

As at June 14 this year, a total of 40,208 dengue cases with 78 deaths were reported compared to 11,485 cases with 23 deaths in the same period last year.

There has been a 250 per cent increase in cases and a 239 per cent increase in deaths with 72 hotspots nationwide — Selangor (60), followed by Negri Sembilan (seven), Kelantan (four) and Sarawak (one).

Universiti Malaya’s department of medical microbiology head Prof Abdul Abu Bakar reminded the public they had a role to play in curbing the rise in dengue cases.

“Mosquitoes are not solely to be blamed for the propagation of dengue. We tend to forget that when a person has high fever, his blood vessels are flooded with viruses,” Abdul said.

“A mosquito could easily transmit diseases to other hosts. The cycle then repeats. To stop this cycle, we must ensure that we do all we can to avoid getting bitten in the first place. Many may say it’s impossible to do so but it is not.”

He said simple measures included using a repellent, cleaning the exterior of the house or placing netting around windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering.

“We should not wait for others to take action. The public should realise that taking small but determined steps can make a huge difference.”