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(KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysia's government urged people yesterday to protect themselves from dengue fever after infections and deaths caused by the mosquito-borne disease doubled in the first weeks of this year.
Eight people died of dengue through Jan 17 this year, twice the number of fatalities in the same period of 2008, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Dengue fever sickened 3,211 people in this South-east Asian nation between Jan 4-17, up from 1,514 cases in the same period of last year, the ministry said.
Authorities attributed the increase to a persistent rainy season and unsanitary conditions around homes that enable mosquitoes to thrive in stagnant water. More than half the cases occurred in Malaysia's largest city, Kuala Lumpur, and its neighbouring state of Selangor.
The ministry said it has launched a massive publicity campaign advising people to rid their homes and surroundings of flower pots, cans and other trash where stagnant water can collect and allow mosquitoes to breed. -- AP
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