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Chua Jui Meng should give data on number of dengue deaths in Kuala Lumpur last year as from anecdotal accounts, I will not be surprised if the death toll in the Federal Territory in the nation's worst dengue epidemic was as high as 20 for last year although Chua claims there were only two deaths Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang (Petaling Jaya, Friday): The Health Minister, Datuk Chua Jui Meng should give data on the number of dengue deaths in Kuala Lumpur last year as from anecdotal accounts, I will not be surprised if the death toll in the Federal Territory in the nation's worst dengue epidemic was as high as 20 for last year although Chua claims that there were only two dengue deaths in KL last year. The Health Minister has refused to admit that the country was facing not only a dengue epidemic, but the worst dengue epidemic in the nation's history which is worse than 1998, the previously worst recorded year for dengue with 27,379 dengue cases and 58 deaths. Chua says that the dengue outbreak is "endemic" or a regular occurrence in Malaysia in most ordinary years, like from 1991 to 1995 when the annual number of dengue cases ranged from 3,133 to 6,628 cases except in epidemic years like 1997 and 1998 when the number of dengue cases shot up to 19,544 and 27,379 cases respectively, as in the following table: Year      No. of cases      Deaths 1991        6,628                39 1992        5,473                24 1993        5,615                23 1994        3,133                13 1995        6,543                28 1996      14,255                30 1997      19,544                50 1998      27,379                58 Last year, according to the Health Ministry, there were 32,289 dengue cases as of 28th December. This is not just an epidemic but qualifies to be described as a pandemic as warned by the World Health Organisation last July - and it is most unthinkable and shocking that Chua can claim that dengue last year was merely "endemic"! Can Chua clarify as to how many dengue cases must happen in Malaysia and how many dengue deaths must occur before he is prepared to admit to a dengue epidemic in the country? Yesterday, DAP gave Chua 48 hours to make public the full data of the worst dengue epidemic in the nation's history, with state and weekly breakdown of dengue cases and fatalities for last year and this year or DAP will a launch nation-wide campaign to demand his resignation as the first important step to create nation-wide awareness of the worst dengue epidemic to befall the nation and to save lives by stopping avoidable dengue deaths. Chua should henceforth release real-time information and indicators about the dengue outbreak in Malaysia, such as weekly or even daily incidence data, case-fatality rates (CFR) for dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), frequency and distribution of dengue and DHF cases by age, gender, ethnicity and location; distribution of circulating dengue virus serotypes, etc. When the 48-hour notice expires tomorrow, DAP will draw up a Bill of Indictment against Chua for his failure as Health Minister, particularly in the current dengue epidemic but referring as well to previous disease outbreak where Chua failed to provide the necessary leadership to reduce to the minimum avoidable deaths and human suffering. The nation-wide campaign to demand the resignation of Chua Jui Meng as Health Minister as the first important step to create belated nation-wide awareness of the worst dengue epidemic to befall the nation and to save lives by stopping avoidable dengue deaths will start from Kampung Sungai Kerayong, Taman Maluri, Cheras where there had been three dengue deaths in the 17 days between December 25 to January 11. The three dengue fatalities in Kampung Sungai Kerayong in the 17 days between December 25 to January 11 were: The two Wazir sisters, Siti Zalikha Mohd. Wazir, 11, and Siti Zaharah, 13, who died of dengue within two days of each other on Christmas Day on Dec. 25 and 27 respectively. Wong Pui San, 13, Form II student with Bukit Nanas Convent with 5As in UPSR who died of dengue at the Tung Shin hospital on January 11, 2003. Who were the real killers of the two Malay and one Chinese girls in Kampung Sungai Kerayong - aedes mosquitoes or ministerial negligence and irresponsibility in failing to bring the worst dengue epidemic in the country under control after more than six months of the WHO warning last July? (24/1/2003) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman