Dengue fever spreading steadily in Asia

The number of dengue cases in Malaysia tripled to more than 75,000 as of September 23, compared to the same period last year, The Malay Mail Online reported.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahya said there were 143 fatalities compared to 47 in the same period last year.

A continued outbreak of dengue fever has also infected more than 10,743 people in southern China’s Guangdong Province as of Sept. 28, when 777 more cases were added, according to the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

This is an increase of nearly 16 times over the same period last year, The Epoch Times says. Between 600 and 900 new cases were reported each day over the last week, with 20 cities in Guangdong suffering dengue fever outbreak.

Dengue fever, a tropical mosquito-borne disease whose symptoms include high fevers, muscle and joint pains, skin rashes, headaches, and hemorrhaging, can lead to death in the most severe cases due to blood loss and the drop in blood pressure.

Given that there are no specific medications or vaccines for the disease, residents are expected to simply eliminate stagnant water wherever they see it.

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