IPOH, Dec 14 — Perak health authorities have warned the public to be more vigilant towards the threat of dengue in the coming months.

Perak health executive committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said dengue trends tended to peak during a period stretching from the final months of the year to the early part of the new year.

Citing last year’s records as an example, Dr Mah said the number of dengue cases rose sharply from mid-November 2016 to the end of April 2017.

“For the last 10 weeks, we have seen a plateau in cases, but the overall total of 2017 cases is still much higher than it was last year,” he told a press conference today.

“The main contributor to this high overall total was the ‘peaks’ that were recorded in the first few months of the year. In fact, the early part of 2017 saw an increase of 65 to 68 per cent compared to the corresponding period in 2016.

“We don’t want this to happen again, so we need the public to be more careful and cooperate with us during these coming months.”

Dr Mah said Perak had recorded 5,265 dengue cases from January 1 to December 9 this year — an increase of 48.4 percentage points compared to the same period in 2016.

Twelve deaths were recorded this year, compared to only 10 in 2016.

Dr Mah said the usual year-end dengue spikes were caused by the rainy season and the increased rate of travel during the holiday season.

“As we know, Aedes mosquitoes need water to breed. Illegal dumpsites and rubbish-strewn abandoned premises make up nearly half of breeding grounds around the state.”

Dr Mah reiterated the need for people to keep their surroundings clean on a consistent basis—a vital part of eradicating Aedes mosquito breeding grounds.

Compared to previous years, he observed that awareness about dengue had improved thanks to programmes like the state government’s Perak Bersih campaign.

“However, it is still not satisfactory. Eradicating breeding grounds is a task that requires cooperation from all of us.

“We need more from the public, by taking part in more community clean-up programmes and ensure that their surroundings are clean.”