There has been a spike in the number of dengue cases in the country, with an increase of 1,257 cases reported between Nov 20 and 26 (Week 47), or an increase of 4.7 per cent from 1,201 cases reported the previous week.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said eight states recorded an increase in dengue cases, namely Pahang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Melaka, Sarawak, Kedah and Sabah.

"The cumulative cases of dengue from January up to Nov 26 stood at 94,337 cases, a decline of 13.6 per cent compared to 109,166 cases reported during the corresponding period last year," he said in a statement here Saturday.

He said six deaths due to dengue reported in Week 47 brought the total number of deaths to 220, compared to 296 death during the corresponding period last year.

"The number of localities where dengue is still active has shown a decrease of 374 in Week 32, while the number of hotspots also dropped to 37," he said.

As for the Zika virus, Dr Noor Hisham said the latest report issued by the World Health Organisation on Nov 24 revealed there were now 75 countries affected by the virus.

"The number of cases which tested positive for Zika (virus) between Sept 1 and Nov 26 remains at seven," he added.

Dr Noor Hisham said 1,589 blood and urine samples were tested for the Zika virus by the National Public Health Laboratory and the Institute for Medical Research from June last year until Nov 26, but it was not detected. --Bernama