KUALA LUMPUR — Johor has recorded a drastic surge in dengue cases, rising 131.3% for the current period compared to the same period last year.
In numbers, the state charted 9,954 dengue cases as of epid week 34 this year compared to 4,304 cases for the same period last year, Bernama reported state health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon saying.
Ling said of the total, 4,520 cases or 45.4% were reported from outbreak localities while 5,434 cases or 54.6% were from non-outbreak localities.
By location, Ling said Johor Baru recorded the highest number of cases in epid week 34 with 495 cases or 74.6% of the total cases, followed by Kulai (120 cases), Batu Pahat (19), Segamat (nine), Kota Tinggi (seven), Muar and Pontian with four cases each.
Johor has also recorded a total of 13 deaths due to dengue up to epic week 33 this year, compared to eight deaths for the same period in 2025, an increase of 62.5%.
Last month, Ling said Johor Baru and Kulai were also the main dengue hotspots, accounting for 91% of cases in the state because of their dense populations.
He also said the surge in cases was due to the dominant dengue strain — DENV-3 — that is now in circulation.
Ling told The Star that this strain causes more severe infections and symptoms.
The current hot and dry weather conditions, with intermittent rainfall, is also conducive for the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes which require only a small about of stagnant water.
Johor last month approved an allocation of RM116,000 to the Health Department to support fogging operations and also increased the number of community cleaning activities or ‘gotong-royong’. – Sept 2, 2026