Xinhua
03 Oct 2023, 02:05 GMT+10
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia is seeing a spike in new malaria cases this year after having no cases reported from 2018 to 2021.
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
The number of cases reported in the Southeast Asian country so far this year has already exceeded the 404 reported in 2022.
Public health experts have held deforestation, climate change and animal-to-human transmission as partly responsible for the spike and warned that resistance of malaria parasites to anti-malaria treatment drugs has also heightened the threat of the disease, according to local daily The Star.
Although Malaysia has entered the phase of eliminating the indigenous transmission of malaria, zoonotic malaria transmitted from macaque monkeys remains a public health problem, Dr. Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh at the National University of Malaysia said.
"The parasite known as Plasmodium Knowlesi is usually carried by macaque monkeys and spreads to people when a mosquito bites an infected macaque and then bites a person. This happens during logging, fishing, planting, deforestation or when entering a jungle," she said.
Meanwhile, Zainal Ariffin Omar, a public health expert, said climate change and deforestation are among the factors leading to increased Malaria cases.
Get a daily dose of Malaysia Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Malaysia Sun.
More InformationBEIJING, China: President Xi Jinping is set to visit Vietnam on December 12 and 13, where he will engage with ...
KATHMANDU, Nepal - The Rukum Paschim District Court sentenced 24 people to life in prison for their roles in the ...
JAKARTA, Indonesia: The death toll from the eruption of Indonesia's Marapi volcano surged to 22 as rescuers discovered additional climbers ...
DHAKA, Bangladesh - PM Sheikh Hasina is ranked 46th on Forbes' list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women in ...
LAHORE, Pakistan - According to the Lahore police Organized Crime Unit (OCU), a gang of robbers has been arrested in ...
BUKITTINGGI, Indonesia: On December 2, Mount Marapi in West Sumatra province, Indonesia, erupted, sending hot ash clouds several miles (kilometers) ...
TOKYO, Japan: Japan, Britain, and Italy are set to establish a new collaborative organization and industry group dedicated to developing ...
LOS ANGELES, California: This week, members of the SAG-AFTRA actors union approved a three-year contract with major studios, formally ending ...
LAS VEGAS, Nevada: The U.S. Transportation Department has allocated US$3 billion for a $12 billion Las Vegas to Southern California ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: U.S. gasoline prices could fall below US$3 a gallon for the first time since 2021 and are currently ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: To fix issues that could lead to further bank failures in the U.S., such as the collapse of ...
ARLINGTON, Virginia: This week, Reuters reported that Boeing delivered 46 narrowbody 737s jets in November. The total brings the U.S. ...