SHAH ALAM: Selangor residents are more comfortable controlling mosquito breeding rather than working towards preventing them from breeding, a state executive councillor said today as dengue cases continue to rise.
Health, Welfare, Women Empowerment and Family Committee chairman Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud said residents were happy when the authorities sprayed insecticide to kill larvae but were slow in taking personal action to prevent breeding of mosquitoes.
“They are very comfortable and happy to see anti-dengue sprayers coming to their housing area when there is a dengue case,” she said at a health-themed dialogue at a hotel here.
“I wish to emphasise that the only way to solve the dengue problem is (through) prevention.”
Siti Mariah noted that dengue cases and deaths in Selangor had risen between January and July.
Also present were Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, state executive councillor Teng Chang Khim and Selangor health director Dr Khalid Ibrahim.
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad had recently said that 62,421 dengue cases had been reported nationwide from January to June, an increase of 29,986 cases or 92.4% compared with the same period last year.
The number of deaths due to dengue for the same period this year was 93, compared with 53 last year.
Data show that more than half of all dengue cases nationwide this year was recorded in Selangor, with 42,700 cases, including 36 deaths.
Petaling Jaya, in particular, has seen a spike of almost 300% cases.
Siti Mariah said 42.9% of Aedes mosquito breeding sites in Selangor had been found in places of worship and that other areas prone to having mosquitoes breeding were construction sites, factories, health facilities and schools.
She said her office, together with the state health department, had come up with awareness programmes to educate society on preventing dengue.
She also said RM3 million had been allocated in this year’s RM21 million state budget for dengue control. - FMT
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