Abstract
Dengue fever continues to pose a significant public health threat in Malaysia, particularly in peri-urban districts undergoing rapid residential expansion. However, the extent to which housing structures influence dengue transmission remains poorly quantified. This study investigated the temporal, proportional, and spatial dynamics of dengue across five housing categories; landed properties, high-rise residential units, traditional/rural houses, institutional quarters, and others in Kuala Selangor from 2020 to 2024. A total of 5,426 laboratory-confirmed dengue cases obtained from the national e-Notifikasi system were geocoded and classified by housing type. Temporal trends were examined using weekly epidemic curves, proportional contributions were calculated for each housing category, and spatial clustering was assessed using Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) in ArcGIS Pro. Landed properties were the dominant transmission environment, contributing 73.4% of all cases and consistently driving major seasonal peaks during epidemiological weeks 20–35, coinciding with the southwest monsoon. High-rise residential areas accounted for 16.1% of cases and exhibited persistent low-level transmission throughout the year, indicating a potential role as an endemic reservoir between epidemic cycles. Traditional/rural houses (5.5%), institutional quarters (3.4%), and other categories (1.6%) contributed only sporadically. KDE mapping revealed persistent hotspots in central and southern Kuala Selangor, primarily within peri-urban landed housing estates, with smaller recurrent clusters in high-rise complexes. These findings demonstrate that housing typology is a critical determinant of dengue transmission risk. Landed properties amplify monsoon-driven outbreaks through abundant outdoor breeding habitats, while high-rise buildings sustain inter-epidemic transmission via sheltered, indoor breeding sites. Integrating housing-specific intelligence into Malaysia’s Integrated Vector Management (IVM) framework can enable more targeted, proactive, and spatially adaptive dengue prevention strategies.
Data availability
The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Spatial data layers (e.g., housing classification shapefiles, Kernel Density Estimation outputs) are archived at the Centre of Environmental Health & Safety, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). All spatial and statistical analyses were conducted using licensed software (ArcGIS Pro 3.1 and R 4.3.2) under institutional agreements, and data sharing follows UiTM and Ministry of Health Malaysia data governance policies.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) for institutional support, and the Kuala Selangor District Health Office for providing access to surveillance data. Appreciation is extended to the drone operations and GIS technical team for assistance in geocoding and spatial validation. The authors also acknowledge the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) for facilitating drone operation compliance and the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) for logistical coordination.
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This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
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N.C.D., A.N.S.H., M.N.S., N.A.A.L., M.I.R. and R.D conceived the study, supervised overall execution, and verified the underlying data. N.C.D., Z.A.M.F., and N.M.Y. designed the analytical framework and performed data validation. N.C.D. and M.A.O. conducted the statistical and spatial analyses, and prepared the figures. N.C.D., S.A.S., and R.D. interpreted the results and drafted the initial manuscript. All authors reviewed, revised, and approved the final version prior to submission.
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This study utilized secondary surveillance data obtained with formal approval from the Medical Research and Ethics Committee (MREC), Ministry of Health Malaysia (NMRR ID: 25–02921-CR1). Ethical clearance was granted on 1 October 2025, valid until 1 October 2026. All procedures were conducted in accordance with national data protection regulations and institutional ethical standards. No human subjects were directly involved, and all data were anonymized prior to analysis. Data were used solely for research purposes under strict confidentiality.
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Dom, N.C., Hisyam, A.N.S., Saeman, M.N. et al. Housing structure shapes dengue transmission dynamics in a rapidly urbanizing Malaysian district.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35904-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35904-9
Keywords
- Dengue transmission
- Housing typology
- Spatial epidemiology
- Temporal analysis
- Vector management
Source: Ecology - nature.com
