Zero dengue deaths: Lofty ideal or achievable reality?
May 23, 2025
In 2024 alone, the Ministry of Health reported 122,323 dengue cases and 117 deaths — a chilling 17% increase in fatalities from the previous year.
Imagine losing both your parents within days, not to a new disease, but to dengue — a virus that’s been with us for decades. That’s the harsh reality Firdaus faced. “People think dengue is just a fever. But for me, it took both my parents — just like that,” he shared through tears.
Dengue continues to cast a long shadow over families in Malaysia. In 2024 alone, the Ministry of Health reported 122,323 dengue cases and 117 deaths — a chilling 17% increase in fatalities from the previous year. Though case numbers dipped slightly, more lives were lost, underscoring a crucial message: every death from dengue is preventable. The ENDD campaign: Rallying Malaysians to say “enough” At the heart of the effort to reverse this deadly trend is the END Dengue Deaths (ENDD) campaign, recently launched by Dengue Prevention Advocacy Malaysia (DPAM) in collaboration with Immunise4Life (IFL). The campaign’s message is simple but powerful: Zero preventable dengue deaths is possible — if we all act together. According to Professor Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail, Chairman of DPAM and IFL, achieving this goal requires collaboration beyond just government initiatives. “Every death from dengue is a preventable tragedy. With collective effort, we can achieve zero preventable dengue deaths by 2030, in line with WHO’s global target,” he said. A childhood stolen by dengue For six-year-old Julaikha, dengue was more than a virus — it was a terrifying ordeal that separated her from both parents, who were hospitalised with the disease. Her mother was fighting for her life in ICU. “No child should have to go through that,” she later shared. Jovita, another survivor, recounted her ordeal of battling dengue alongside her mother, who was suffering from multi-organ failure. “It was a nightmare. Doctors told us she might not make it. I was lucky to survive, but we were emotionally and physically drained,” she said. Dengue prevention isn’t just the government’s job While the Ministry of Health has taken major steps — from deploying the iDengue portal for real-time case updates to releasing Wolbachia-infected Aedes mosquitoes — the fight can’t be won without public participation. Vector control operations like space spraying and larviciding in hotspot areas and tech-driven surveillance have helped reduce cases by up to 80% in some areas. But these efforts must be matched by community-level action. The hard truth: Dengue doesn’t discriminate “Many think they’re safe from dengue if they’ve had it once. That’s dangerously false,” warned Dr Benedict Sim, Infectious Disease consultant with the Malaysian Society of Infection Control and Infectious Diseases (MyICID). He stressed that there are four serotypes of the dengue virus, and getting infected a second time can increase the risk of severe illness. “Even young, healthy adults aren’t immune. In fact, 45% of dengue deaths in 2023 were among people aged 20 to 49,” he added. 4 Simple steps that save lives Four crucial actions everyone can take to stop dengue in its tracks:
The path to zero dengue deaths is not paved with complexity — it’s paved with simple, doable steps. What we need now is a collective commitment. Let’s not wait for tragedy to strike closer to home. Every mosquito breeding site destroyed, every bite prevented, every early treatment sought — it all adds up. It could be the difference between life and death. |
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