PUTRAJAYA, March 8 — The number of dengue fever cases has dropped to 3,268 in the 9th Epidemiological Week (ME9), from February 25 to March 2, compared with 3,572 cases reported in the previous week, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan.

He said that three deaths, due to complications from dengue fever, were reported in the same period.

"The cumulative number of dengue fever cases reported in ME9 is 32,381 cases, compared with 19,450 for the same period in 2023,” he said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, there were 19 deaths due to dengue fever complications reported, compared with 15 deaths for the same period last year.

The number of hotspot localities reported in ME9 was 184, compared with 196 reported in the previous week.

He said that, of the 184 hotspot localities, 153 of them were in Selangor, 13 in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, five in Penang, four each in Negeri Sembilan and Sabah, two in Kedah, and one each in Perak, Johor and Sarawak respectively.

Dr Muhammad Radzi said that for chikungunya surveillance, no cases were recorded in ME9, adding that the cumulative number of chikungunya cases to date is six.

No chikungunya outbreak was reported in ME9, he said.

Meanwhile, for Zika surveillance, a total of 402 blood samples and one urine sample were screened, and the results were all negative.

"The 2024/2025 school session will start in March 2024, and all school staff will return to duty alongside the students who will start the new school session.

"As the school has been closed for a month, the school environment may have become a breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes, which can threaten the health of students, teachers and school staff,” he said.

Therefore, Dr Muhammad Radzi said that the school, and the company which holds the cleaning contract in the school, need to take steps to curb the spread of dengue infection in the school. — Bernama