KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — Wolbachia Mosquito Operations (WMO), an initiative by the Health Ministry against dengue transmission, started in 2019 and has successfully reduced the number of dengue cases between 45 and 100 per cent in 19 assessed release areas.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the country has achieved a significant decline in dengue fatality (from 0.63 per cent in 2000 to 0.08 per cent last year), with rigorous efforts at the national, state and district levels.
“Thirty-five areas nationwide have implemented WMO,” he said at the launch of the Asia Dengue Summit (ADS) here today.
He also said the Communication for Behavioural Impact programme has been adopted in 3,380 localities, with more than 32,163 active members nationwide mobilising communities to prevent dengue.
“We look forward to the dengue vaccine to curb the disease transmission, and will continue to seek more evidence to ensure this vaccine will complement our efforts to prevent, manage, and control dengue in accordance with the country’s dengue burden and World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendations,” he said.
Lukanisman said that in just two decades, the number of dengue cases worldwide grew thirteen-fold, from 500,000 in 2000 to a whopping 6.5 million in 2023.
He said most of the increase was attributed to Malaysia and other Asian countries such as Thailand, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, we were happy to see a significant drop in dengue cases due to movement restrictions. Unfortunately, the shrinkage was temporary. As the world returned to normalcy, dengue cases rose again.
“Last year marked the highest number of cases ever recorded globally, surpassing the unprecedented peak in 2019. With over 6.5 million cases and more than 7,300 dengue-related deaths reported by the WHO, the urgency of our collective response cannot be disputed,” he said.
With the theme “Towards Zero Dengue Deaths: Innovation, Collaboration, Action in Asia”, the three-day ADS gathered over 450 dengue experts from 20 countries, including clinicians, researchers, public health leaders and policymakers to exchange ideas, updates, and achievements on dengue prevention and control.
The summit was co-convened by Asia Dengue Voice and Action Group and Dengue Prevention Advocacy Malaysia, among other public health groups.
— Bernama