While most of us are celebrating a new phase of Movement Control Order (MCO), the Health Ministry alerted Malaysians to expect another health threat virus making headlines in the next couple of months – dengue.
During a live briefing yesterday, (8th June), Health director-general, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that Malaysia is projected to see a second wave of dengue cases to take place between early June until September, after it shows an upward trend of 8% for six consecutive weeks.
As quoted from Malay Mail, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah also mentioned that,
“Based on preliminary investigations into the 84 dengue-related deaths earlier this year, it was found that 11% were late in seeking treatment, about three days after the symptoms first appeared.”
“The Health Ministry (MOH) expects an increase in dengue cases with the second wave starting from early June until September 2020, as based on the trend of dengue fever cases over the last five years”.
KKM jangka berlaku peningkatan kes Demam Denggi gelombang kedua bermula awal Jun sehingga September 2020, iaitu berdasarkan tren kes Demam Denggi
selama 5 tahun.Orang ramai diseru supaya meningkatkan tahap kebersihan di kawasan masing-masing terutamanya di tempat takungan air
— KKMalaysia
(@KKMPutrajaya) June 8, 2020
As the country is expected to open more business sectors, Dr Noor Hisham also urged the public and business owners to clean up the places favoured by the mosquito such as pools and toilets. These are the potential places for it to breed.
In order to prevent dengue, the transmission of the virus to the mosquitoes must be interrupted. How can you achieve that? You should make sure the mosquito breeding grounds with stagnant water to be completely removed and cleaned.
For parents, amp up the maintenance of hygiene in and surrounding your house. You can read more about dengue and how to prevent it in this article.
Symptoms of Dengue
Below are some of the signs and symptoms of dengue. If any of your family members are showing these symptoms, bring him to the nearest clinic immediately:
- High fever (40°C)
- Intense headache
- Muscle and joint pain
- Loss of appetite
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Rashes
- Diarrhea
Dengue is one the dangerous viruses as there is no specific treatment (as of yet). The treatment mainly focuses on relief of the symptoms.
Do your part by ensuring that the surrounding of your house is clean. You can even bring some mosquito repellent or wear mosquito patch when you are out and about, and drink a plenty of water to stay hydrated. As always, prevention is better than cure.