PUTRAJAYA, April 10 — The Health Ministry’s integrated enforcement saw a reduction in the average number of dengue fever cases from 3,500 cases a week in January to 1,600 cases early this month, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.

He said the drop was the result of the ministry’s integrated action with various related agencies, as well as the community’s commitment to stamp out dengue.

“Apart from that, a new outdoor residual spray technique has also been more effective in preventing the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes,” he told a media conference here today.

According to him, 1,609 cases were reported in the 13th week of this year as compared to 1,645 cases reported the week earlier, a fall of 36 cases or two per cent.

From January to April 4, Dr Subramaniam said the cumulative total number of dengue cases was 34,144 cases as compared to 25,098 cases reported for the same period last year.

“At the same time, there were 108 deaths reported compared to 62 deaths for the same period in 2014, a rise of 46 deaths or 74 per cent, he added.

The total number of localities infected also dropped from 1,131 at the end of January to 615 in early April, while the number of hotspots also lessened from 248 to 139.

Despite the sharp fall, the main challenge in dengue prevention was to maintain the momentum of all parties to bring down the number of cases to 1,200. — Bernama