PETALING JAYA: Dengue infections in Malaysia nearly doubled in 2023 compared to the year before amid a global surge in infections.

       According to the government’s iDengue portal, there were 123,300 cases from January 1 to December 31 last year, up 86.5% from 66,102 in 2022.

       The total number of cases recorded in 2023 was the highest since 2019, which saw 130,101 infections.

       The steepest rise in cases last year took place in November and December. Weekly cases peaked during the period of December 12-16 with 3,140 infections.

       The sharp increase is not limited to Malaysia.

       According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2023 saw “an unexpected spike” in dengue resulting in close to a historic high of five million cases and more than 5,000 deaths in over 80 countries.

       The WHO in a statement on December 21 said the changing distribution of the Aedes mosquito, the consequences of the El Nino weather phenomena and climate change are among the factors driving the surge in cases in 2023.

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       The WHO said that there had been a dramatic growth in the incidence of dengue around the world in the past two decades, with cases rising from 505,430 to 2000.

       The highest ever recorded number of dengue cases worldwide was 5.2 million in 2019.

       In Southeast Asia, the WHO said Indonesia and Thailand were among the countries hard hit by the surge in cases.

       Thailand saw an increase of over 300%, with dengue cases rising from 46,678 in 2022 to 136,655 in 2023 as of 22 November 2023.

       In Malaysia, nearly half of the total cases were reported in Selangor. The state had 61,207 cases, which made up 49.6% of infections nationwide.

       my.Malaysia is a series of data stories that highlights interesting facts and figures on anything and everything related to Malaysia.