KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 ― The number of asthma cases saw an increase of 3.5 per cent to 1,265 cases for the week of September 15 to 21 compared to 1,222 cases in the previous week, due to the current haze blanketing most parts of the country since a few weeks ago.

Ministry of Health (MoH) Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said conjunctivitis cases also rose 51.4 per cent to 403 cases on the same week, compared to 266 cases the week before.

"However, cases involving Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) showed a decline of 9.6 per cent, (8,258 to 7,465 cases), in the same period,” he said in a statement today.

Dr Noor Hisham said his ministry is constantly monitoring developments of health diseases related to the haze through its 33 Haze Sentinel Facilities around the country.

He advised the public especially those in the high risk groups such as the elderly and children and those with existing respiratory related ailments such as asthma, bronchitis and allergies to take appropriate preventive measures to limit the effects of the current haze.

For more information on preventive measures, members of the public can visit MOH's official website. ― Bernama