Research on Climate and Dengue in Malaysia: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background & ObjectivesDengue is a climate-sensitive infectious disease. Climate-based dengue early warning may be a simple, low-cost, and effective tool for enhancing surveillance and control. Scientific studies on climate and dengue in local context form the basis for advancing the development of a climate-based early warning system. This study aims to review the current status of scientific studies in climate and dengue and the prospect or challenges of such research on a climate-based dengue early warning system in a dengue-endemic country, taking Malaysia as a case study.MethodWe reviewed the relationship between climate and dengue derived from statistical modeling, laboratory tests, and field studies. We searched electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO (MEDLINE), Web of Science, and the World Health Organization publications, and assessed climate factors and their influence on dengue cases, mosquitoes, and virus and recent development in the field of climate and dengue.Results & DiscussionFew studies in Malaysia have emphasized the relationship between climate and dengue. Climatic factors such as temperature, rainfall, and humidity are associated with dengue; however, these relationships were not consistent. Climate change projections for Malaysia show a mounting risk for dengue in the future. Scientific studies on climate and dengue enhance dengue surveillance in the long run.ConclusionIt is essential for institutions in Malaysia to promote research on climate and vector-borne diseases to advance the development of climate-based early warning systems. Together, effective strategies that improve existing research capacity, maximize the use of limited resources, and promote local-international partnership are crucial for sustaining research on climate and health.

Histopathological and cholinesterase changes in the gills of Clarias gariepinus as a result of cadmium exposure

“…another study Ahmad et al (2016a) observed maximum activity of ChE in Anabas testudineus muscles in the range of 25°C to 40°C, while the maximum activity of blood ChE was observed at 30°C. It can be concluded that this particular enzyme works best at temperature ranging from 20°C to 40°C that prevails in Malaysia, a tropical country with warm temperature, high humidity and copious rainfall and average temperature of around 27°C (Hii et al, 2016). The results this study indicate that cadmium induces toxicity on C. gariepinus, and AChE present in the gills of C. gariepinus may serve as a significant biomarker of cadmium induced neurotoxicity.…”

Dengue Fever and Severe Dengue in Barbados, 2008–2016

“…Climatic factors can enhance vector population growth and increase the risk of DENV vectors biting susceptible humans [39][40][41]. Dengue transmission is often seasonal and driven by many climatic factors including temperature, short and long term rainfall and relative humidity influencing mosquito vector growth and density [42][43][44][45].…”

Identification of Significant Climatic Risk Factors and Machine Learning Models in Dengue Outbreak Prediction

“…Therefore, establishing related risk factors is critical for prediction systems [16]. Given that climate factors play a key role in this disease, identifying the relation between weather information and dengue outbreak incidence is a major task in establishing an accurate prediction system for future outbreaks [17,18,19]. In the current study, important climatic risk factors, such as temperature, relative humidity and rainfall amount, were examined.…”

“…Hybrid models have been used in outbreak prediction research. A hybrid model is an example of an integrated model, and many models based on genetic algorithms are available to determine the weight in a neural network model [14,17,18,19,25,26]. In Singapore, researchers found signi cant correlated dengue cases with climatic variables by using a Poisson regression model [27].…”