PUTRAJAYA, The number of dengue fever cases dropped to 2,373 in the 28th Epidemiological Week (ME28) from July 7 to 13 compared to 2,805 cases the previous week, with no fatalities reported. Health director-general Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said the cumulative number of dengue fever cases reported up to ME28 was 80,441 compared to 63,966 cases for the same period in 2023. 'There were 65 deaths due to dengue fever complications reported compared to 45 fatalities for the same period last year,' he said in a statement today. He also said that the number of hotspot localities reported in ME28 increased to 100 from 86 the previous week. Of the total, 74 localities were in Selangor, six each in Negeri Sembilan, Perak, and Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, four in Kedah, two in Penang and one each in Sarawak and Sabah. Meanwhile, Dr Muhammad Radzi said seven chikungunya cases were also recorded in ME28, bringing the cumulative total to 54 cases. As for Zika surveillance, he said 1,437 blood samples, eight urine samples and three cerebrospinal fluid samples were screened, all of which tested negative. Source: BERNAMA News Agency