GUA MUSANG: Sixty-six per cent or 2,584 out of 3,923 malaria cases reported in the country last year derived from monkey (zoonotic) malaria, with the highest number of patients recorded in Sabah, Sarawak and Kelantan.
Head of Health Ministry’s Vector-Borne Disease Sector Dr Rose Nani Mudin said 730 cases or 19 per cent of malaria infections began with foreign workers in the plantation sector.
According to statistics, she said in the first quarter of this year, 356 cases, or 67.6 per cent of the 527 cases of malaria were detected to be derived from monkeys, she told reporters after the launch of national-level World Malaria Day 2015 at the Gua Musang Hospital here yesterday.
Galas assemblyman Ab Aziz Yusof officiated the launch, which was also attended by Kelantan Health Department director Datuk Dr Ahmad Razin Ahmad Mahir.
Dr Rose Nani explained that the zoonotic malaria outbreak occurred when Anopheles mosquitoes, which bit infected monkeys, also bit humans.
Overall, she said the number of malaria cases in the country had dropped dramatically due to various efforts and steps taken by the ministry to monitor and control the spread of the disease.
She said compared to the 1990s where there were more than 50,000 malaria cases recorded nationwide, the number had reduced dramatically to only 3,923 cases last year, and was expected to continue to decline this year with the cooperation of all parties.
“Death due to malaria is also low, with one death recorded in the first three months this year compared to two deaths recorded in the corresponding period last year,” she added. — Bernama