Once again (2015, 2016) Selangor state is reporting the most dengue fever accounting for some 50 percent of the national total.

Through October 15, Malaysia has seen about 73,000 cases to date and 40,000 cases are from Selangor state. This includes 159 dengue related fatalities across the country, 59 in Selangor.

An Aedes aegypti mosquito prepares to bite a human. Image/USDA
An Aedes aegypti mosquito prepares to bite a human.
Image/USDA

Deputy Health Minister Dr Hilmi Yahaya said that poor waste management is the likely reason for the number of dengue cases in the state.

“Selangor recorded the highest cases probably due to its waste collection system that is not being managed properly, which led to the dengue epidemic.

“Selangor is also an urban state with many development sectors such as construction sites, so this is one of the causes, it records the highest number of dengue cases.”

In the past 50 years, the incidence of dengue worldwide has increased 30-fold, largely as a consequence of the growth of cities and increased travel.

Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four relateddengue viruses. This disease used to be called “break-bone fever” because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking.

People get the dengue virus from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. It is not contagious from person to person. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page

There are three types of dengue fever in order of less severe to most: the typical uncomplicated dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHS) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS).

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there may be 50–100 million dengue infections worldwide every year. However, new research from the University of Oxford and the Wellcome Trust, using cartographic approaches, estimate there to be 390 million dengue infections per year worldwide.

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