Kuala Lampur (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Malaysian authorities are rushing to control an outbreak of dengue in a northeastern district following the deaths of two schoolgirls from the mosquito-borne disease, an official said on Friday.
The two 13-year-old girls who died last month in Tanah Merah district of Kelantan state were earlier thought to have succumbed to Japanese encephalitis, but tests later showed they were dengue victims, Health Ministry director general Ismail Merican told reporters.
One of the victims also suffered from bacterial meningitis in addition to dengue, he said.
"It is an outbreak of dengue. We have beefed up our control measures. Whether it is dengue or JE, the root cause is mosquitoes, so we have taken measures to ensure cleanliness," he said. "The ministry has beefed up its dengue campaign."
Mr Ismail said Japanese encephalitis is not the real problem, and our "focus is on dengue," which he described as more dangerous than Japanese encephalitis. Last year, 108 people died from dengue fever compared to six from Japanese encephalitis.
In Tanah Merah alone, where the two girls died, there were 11 dengue cases in January, Mr Ismail said, adding that measures including fogging of mosquito breeding grounds are being taken to ensure the outbreak doesn't spread to other parts of Kelantan.
A third victim, a 27-year-old epileptic woman, is currently in hospital being treated for dengue, Mr Ismail said.
She initially tested positive for Japanese encephalitis and dengue, but latest tests showed that she had only dengue, Mr Ismail said.
Dengue causes high fever, severe joint pain and sometimes nausea, vomiting and a rash. Some strains cause internal bleeding, leading to death.
The Japanese encephalitis virus, also spread by mosquitoes, generally causes fever and headaches or no apparent symptoms. But about 1 in 200 infections cause severe complications to the central nervous system, resulting in disorientation, comas, seizures, paralysis and death.