KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — A total of 95 deaths were recorded between January and March 18 nationwide, as a result of dengue fever, says Health Department director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said the number showed an increase of 90 per cent as compared to 50 deaths recorded in the same period last year. Selangor recorded the highest number of deaths at 50.

In a statement today, Dr Noor Hisham said during the same period, 30,033 cases of dengue fever were reported, compared to 21,111 cases in the same period last year.

However, he said there was a downward trend in the number of cases reported since four weeks ago.

“Based on the health ministry’s monitoring in the 10th week, namely, from March 8 to 14, a total of 2,275 cases of dengue fever were reported compared to 2,643 cases the previous week,” he added.

In the meantime, Noor Hisham said Selangor recorded the highest number of areas where the plague was still active at 214, followed by Perak (38), Sabah (six) and Penang (one).

Seeing the dengue fever cases and deaths from dengue fever are still high, the ministry has urged the public to seek immediate treatment at the nearest clinics if they had fever, bodily aches, headache, vomiting, nausea and bleeding gums.

“Medical practitioners at private hospitals and clinics are urged to carry out blood tests to confirm suspected dengue cases,” said Noor Hisham, adding that to date, two companies had offered Combo Rapid Test Kit to detect dengue fever at low price to private medical practitioners.

Further information can be obtained from the website of the Malaysia Medical Association at http://www.mma.org.my/Portals/0/PDF%202015/Dengue.pdf.

Meanwhile in Kangar, state health director Dr Zaini Hussin said the number of dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever in the state had gone up by 49 cases in one week from March 8, as compared to the same period last year, involving one death.

In a statement issued today, he said during the period there were 92 cases of the disease, up 114 per cent as compared to 43 cases recorded between March 8 and 14, last year.

In Kuala Terengganu, the state government has set up a special task committee to combat the Aedes mosquito and eradicate dengue fever in the state. State health, women, family and community development committee chairman Muhammad Pehimi Yusof said the committee was set up on Wednesday, with Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman as patron.

“The existence of the committee is in line with the health department director-general’s suggestion that each state set up a special task committee,” he said after launching a 2015 state-level ‘Let’s Combat Dengue’ campaign here today. — Bernama