Portfolio 1 - Homelessness in Malaysia
Portfolio 1 - Homelessness in Malaysia
Portfolio 1 - Homelessness in Malaysia
Relevance (5%) --
Curation (5%) --
TOTAL: 5 + 5 = _____%
10 0.0
This exercise requires you to provide an outline for your informative speech by filling in the
following template.
In this exercise, you need to choose at least one chart and/or graph related to your topic. Describe
the important data (facts and figures) and the major features of the data from the chosen chart(s)
and/or graph(s). You are also required to choose at least one article related to your topic. Select
relevant information from the chosen article(s) to provide some supporting information for the data.
Introduction
Introduce topic Dengue cases in Malaysia
Credibility I am interested in this topic and have done some research on it.
Background of topic According to the Malay Mail online, World Health Organization
reported that one of the important causes of hospitalization and
deaths among children and adults is due to dengue fever.
Central Idea The increase of dengue cases in Malaysia is due to many factors.
Body
(Describing chart[s] and/or graph[s])
Description of data 1. This graph shows the dengue cases in Malaysia from 1994 to
2014 (description)
(Chart 1)
2. 2014 recorded the highest incidence of dengue cases
(description)
Analysis of data 3. There was a gradual increase of dengue cases from the year
1995 to 2014. An increase of 80,000 cases of dengue was
(Chart 1)
reported from 2013 to 2014 (analysis)
Description of data 1. This bar chart shows the rate for dengue fever by state in
Malaysia in 2014 and 2015 (description).
(Chart 2)
2. Selangor recorded 1,0650.95 rate of dengue fever for 2015
(description).
Analysis of data 3. Of all the states in Malaysia, Selangor reported the highest
rate of dengue fever with 925,54 cases in 2014 and
(Chart 2)
1,0650.93 cases in 2015 (analysis).
4. Kelantan showed a sharp decrease of dengue cases with
852,24 cases and 165,29 cases in 2014 and 2015 respectively
(analysis).
5. According to The Sun Daily dated January 2015, one of the
CHART 1: Dengue cases in Malaysia (1995‐2014)
Sharp
increas
e
Gradual increase in
dengue cases
Drastic drop in Highest number of
dengue cases dengue cases
CHART 2
ARTICLE 1
Reason 1
"Besides the serotype shift, other factors contributing to the increase in the number of
dengue cases were environmental factors, uncontrolled human movements
(especially those carrying the virus), the weather and the unhealthy human
behaviour.
Reason 2
ARTICLE 2
FEBRUARY 6 — The recent rainy season has caused an increase in dengue cases.
While dengue incidents and deaths dropped in 2011 and 2012, it’s been coming back
with a vengeance since. (Fellow columnist Erna Mahyuni had a brush with it — read
about that here.)
Last year alone, dengue killed 215 people nationwide, which is Malaysia’s highest
single-year death figure for the disease in two decades and more than the total lives
lost in the three preceding years.
Last year was also the first time the number of reported cases hit six-figures in recent
years. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 108,698 Malaysians were
infected in 2014, a 151 per cent increase in comparison to 2013.
For perspective, that’s more than 27 per cent higher than the total number of cases
for 2011, 2012 and 2013 combined.
And there’s no sign of the disease letting up either. In a four-week span up to Jan 31,
some 12,002 cases of dengue were reported. More than half that figure — 6,686 —
was in Selangor.
Now dengue isn’t just our problem. WHO estimates that up to 50-100 million people
are infected across more than 100 countries worldwide annually, and severe dengue
is “a leading cause of hospitalization and death among children and adults” in Asian
and Latin American countries.
Background to
topic
But we spend millions every year fighting dengue, do we not? So what’s going wrong
now? That’s for the higher-ups to say. But one thing is clear: Putrajaya’s efforts aren’t
working.
Recall that in July last year deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the
National Committee on Dengue, which he chairs, will bring down the number of
dengue cases in two months. For the two-month campaign, the health ministry had
asked for RM20 million.
Up to that point, 48,845 cases had been reported nationwide with 92 deaths. Fast
forward six months or so later, we have had 108,698 cases with 215 deaths up to
Dec 31, 2014.
But fighting dengue shouldn’t be up to the government alone. Our well-being is our
responsibility too.
Let’s remember that dengue is primarily transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. The
Aedes mosquito breeds primarily in man-made containers, hence dengue is rising
fast in urban and semi-urban tropical areas.
Now WHO’s guidelines states that right now preventing dengue is all about
controlling its vector — mainly the Aedes mosquito.
Of course this isn’t all about us at our neighbourhoods — for example construction
sites are the worst in terms of harbouring Aedes breeding grounds. Contractors
have been fined before for this offence and the highest fine to-date is RM30,000,
according to news reports. Furthermore, first-time offenders can be fined up to
RM10,000 or two years’ jail (or both) while repeat offenders face up to RM50,000 fine
or five years’ jail (or both).
Recommendation
If we each clean up our own homes and local parks (or any other public area we use)
of potential Aedes breeding grounds, and if Putrajaya steps up enforcement
drastically on non-residential offenders as far as Aedes breeding goes, we might
have this disease back under control. Prevention is better than cure.
Meantime if you have severe headache or fever, or feel pain behind your eyes, have
muscle or joint pains, feel nauseous, are vomiting or have rashes, best get yourself
checked immediately. Early detection and proper medical care reduces fatality rates
to below 1 per cent.