KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 — Dengue-related deaths in Malaysia have risen by 66.7 per cent this year as infections climbed nearly 30 per cent, although the Health Ministry (MoH) said the outbreak remains under control and follows the country’s usual transmission pattern.
According to New Straits Times (NST), the ministry said 38,854 dengue cases were reported up to June 27, up 29.1 per cent from the same period last year. Deaths rose from 18 to 30 over the same period.
It attributed the increase to a shift in the dominant dengue virus serotype from DENV-2 to DENV-3, alongside urbanisation, climate conditions, persistent mosquito breeding sites and increased population movement.
“The ministry does not base its public health interventions on fear, but rather on data-driven assessments and scientific evidence,” a ministry spokesman told NST when asked whether the situation could worsen.
He said epidemiological assessments showed no unusual deviation from Malaysia’s cyclical dengue transmission patterns, with the rise concentrated in several rapidly developing states where construction activity has created conditions conducive to mosquito breeding.
The ministry has instructed state and district health authorities to intensify vector-control measures, including targeted fogging, expanded Targeted Outdoor Residual Spraying (TORS) in persistent hotspots, and community programmes under Komuniti Bebas Denggi (KomBeD).
It is also strengthening digital surveillance by integrating predictive tools that use climate, rainfall, temperature and geospatial data to identify high-risk areas and detect transmission patterns earlier.
The spokesman said Malaysia continues to share surveillance data and best practices with Singapore, Thailand and other Asean partners, noting that dengue remains a regional public health challenge.
Although Malaysia’s incidence rate is currently higher than that of Singapore and Thailand, he said all three countries continue to report dengue at manageable levels.
He added that existing resources were sufficient to manage the current situation and scale up interventions where necessary, while urging the public to eliminate stagnant water around their homes and seek treatment promptly if symptoms develop.
Date: 6 July, 2026 9:10 am
Source: Malay Mail
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