PETALING JAYA • Malaysia's Selangor state has topped the list with over 41,000 dengue cases compared with other states nationwide so far this year, and this is expected to increase until early next year, said a health expert.

Universiti Malaya virology and bacteriology expert Sazaly Abu Bakar said the dengue pattern remained similar to last year, albeit with lower numbers seen.

He added that the trend was the same each year - it happened always at the end of the year.

"The figures will go all the way up until early next year up to around April before it dips again.

"The pattern remains similar regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic or the movement control order," said Prof Sazaly in an interview on Wednesday.

Based on Health Ministry data between Nov 1 and Nov 7, Selangor recorded the highest number of cases with 440 reported, bringing the total cases in the state to 41,619 with 36 deaths.

The figures are lower compared with the same period last year, which had 62,009 cases and 50 deaths.

During the same week last year, Malaysia recorded 999 dengue cases.

Cumulatively, Malaysia recorded 83,752 dengue cases with 134 deaths from January to Nov 7, compared with 112,345 cases and 158 deaths in the same period last year.

"The slightly lower figures this year are expected because dengue often recurs in places where it has happened before," he said.

Prof Sazaly said the intensity was not too high this time round as some people who were infected developed immunity, adding that they would not get infected if the virus was of the same strain.

"Hot spots are always similar due to high population density in the house or community, and the same behaviour of residents when it comes to their environment.

"This includes unchanged habits of littering, walking in the park in the evening and not using mosquito repellent," he said.

Similar to Covid-19, he said, dengue was transmittable during the incubation period.

"When you are having dengue fever, there is a very high amount of virus in the blood. When the mosquito bites you and sucks your blood, it transfers the virus when biting another person."

Although dengue does not spread as fast as Covid-19, the infections do come around, he said, adding that dengue patients with the fever could be transmitting it unknowingly.

To stop contracting dengue, he said, the use of mosquito repellent is vital, especially at hot spots.

Dengue cases have been on the rise since Oct 25, especially in densely populated states.

Johor has the second highest number of cases after Selangor, with 193 new cases between Nov 1 and Nov 7 and 156 dengue cases in the previous week.

Johor has so far recorded 10,508 cases and 39 deaths. Both figures are higher than last year's total numbers of 9,491 cases and 25 deaths.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK