Dengue is still a bigger 'menace' than monkeypox, says medical group 

SHAH ALAM - Malaysians are told not be alarmed over the viral monkeypox that is spreading out of Africa as mosquito-born dengue is still a bigger concern here, says Malaysian Medical Association.

Its president Dr Koh Kar Chai said the public should be reminded that dengue remains a bigger "menace".

"Though the spread of monkeypox out of its endemic region of the African continent is a matter of concern, the public should not at this time be alarmed about it.

"The public is reminded that we have a greater menace in our midst that is still claiming lives, and that is dengue,” he said in a statement.

He further said there has been talk over chickenpox vaccination prior to travelling to avoid getting monkeypox.

"I am not aware of any evidence that shows that the chickenpox vaccine will confer protection against monkeypox.

"But there is evidence to show that smallpox vaccine confers a degree of protection," he said, adding that the vaccine is hard to come by as smallpox has been declared as being eradicated," he added.

Those who had been vaccinated against smallpox received years ago are likely that the immunity conferred by the vaccine would have waned, "though I stand to be corrected,” he said.

He added that while there is a monkeypox vaccine which has been registered, but it is also not so readily available just yet.

Monkeypox is a rare viral infection similar to human smallpox, which was eradicated in 1980.

Although monkeypox is much milder than smallpox, with most infected people recovering within a few weeks, it can in rare cases be fatal.

Malaysia has not recorded any cases of monkeypox yet as more people report of the infectious disease globally.

In 2021, Malaysia reported 26,365 cases of dengue. The number showed a decrease of 70.8% compared to the previous year which was 90,304 cases. Deaths due to dengue fever were also found to have decreased from 145 deaths in 2020 to 20 deaths in 2021.