Developing a dengue prediction model based on climate in Tawau, Malaysia.

Dengue is fast becoming the most urgent health issue in Malaysia, recording close to a 10-fold increase in cases over the last decade. With much uncertainty hovering over the recently introduced tetravalent vaccine and no effective antiviral drugs, vector control remains the most important strategy in combating dengue. This study analyses the relationship between weather predictors including its lagged terms, and dengue incidence in the District of Tawau over a period of 12 years, from 2006 to 2017.

Locally transmitted malaria in Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia.

Background: Tawau was the epicentre of malaria infections in the 1970-1990's, when industrialisation swept across the state of Sabah, Malaysia. Since then, effective public health intervention, mainly the Malaria Elimination Programme, introduced in 1998, has seen the disease shrivel down into its final elimination phase. Here we retrospectively analyse the case of a 63 year old male with multiple comorbidities who had no exposure to localities with high risk of infection- thus raising the question regarding the means of transmission.