Dengue fever cases still high in Malaysia, Singapore
The number of dengue fever cases in these two south east Asian countries continue to increase at a considerable pace, according to the latest stats from Malaysia and Singapore.
A female Aedes aegypti mosquito
Image/CDC
Malaysia is reporting in excess of 2,000 new cases per week, with one report saying there were 2,265 infections reported from last week alone.
The total cases for 2014 in Malaysia is 13,915. This is up from 9,500 cases reported about two weeks ago.
In Singapore, the number of cases continue with a range of 235 to 402 cases weekly. As of today, there has been 2,652 cases reported in Singapore.
Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. Thisdisease used to be called “break-bone fever” because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking.
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.
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).
There is not a vaccine for dengue fever. There is no treatment for dengue, just treat the symptoms.
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