Asthma cases have surged by 259% amid the worsening haze currently affecting parts of the country, according to the latest monitoring by the Health Ministry.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said cases of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) had also increased by 124%, with 3,674 cases recorded during Epidemiological Week (EW) 33 compared with 1,637 cases in EW32.
“For the same period, asthma recorded the highest percentage increase, with 219 cases compared with 61 cases previously,” he said.
Dzulkefly said the figures were based on health surveillance conducted up to EW33. Meanwhile, cases of conjunctivitis fell by seven%, with 146 cases reported compared with 157 cases in the previous epidemiological week.
He said seven areas recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as of this morning, with five of them located in Sarawak.
The affected areas in Sarawak were Serian at 197, Kuching at 185, Sri Aman at 178, Samarahan at 176 and Sarikei at 128.
In Peninsular Malaysia, Sungai Petani in Kedah and Taiping in Perak also recorded unhealthy API readings, with both areas registering 126.
Dzulkefly said this after officiating the Kuala Selangor Wellness Hub today.
