The first report of dengue haemorrhagic fever was in 1962 in Penang. Subsequently several outbreaks had been reported. A high index of suspicion is needed for early recognition.
In Malaysia it was estimated in 1983 that 2.5 million people lived in endemic areas and from 1960 to 1984 more than 20,000 people were found to be infected. The more important filarial parasite is B. malayi. There are four main target areas for the control of filariasis, namely, mass or selective chemotherapy, reducing numbers of infected animal hosts, control of vectors and minimising human-vector contact.
In Malaysia malaria is still a major public health problem. At the end of 1986 it was estimated that 14.6% of the population lived in malaria prone areas and 8.4% lived in endemic areas. Malaria eradication and control programmes were instituted separately at different times in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. Inaccessibility of endemic areas, opening of lands for developmental projects and emergence of drug resistant strains of P. falciparum are problems that make control of this infection difficult. Malaria vaccine is being developed.
Some epidemiological aspects of antepartum psychoses have been discussed and wherever possible, are compared with some Western studies. On the whole, the disorder appears to be associated with the young lower social class Chinese lady who has family and / or marital relationship conflicts.