Dengue on the Rise

The Asean Dengue Day 2014 was recently officiated at a national level on June 15th. The commemoration is held on an annual basis with the objective to create greater public awareness on the dengue menace.

Dengue cases in Malaysia remain high with a total of 34,411 cases recorded nationwide between January and June this year. This indicates an increase of 252% compared to the 10,910 cases recorded in the same period last year. At the same time, death cases due to dengue has also increase to 75 as at June 2014, an increase of 53 cases compare to prior year. Out of the 34,411 cases reported, 40% were recorded in the state of Selangor.

According to the Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam, various initiatives are in place by the government to curb this mosquito-borne disease, such as fogging. However, it was deemed ineffective due to the lack of support from the public. He stressed that any approach to fight the dengue menace will not succeed if the public does not show mutual cooperation.

As the number of dengue cases and mosquito breeding sites continue to rise, here are some pointers for you to identify the potential Aedes mosquitoes breeding ground to frequently check and remove stagnant water :

• Trees and shrubs planted near dwellings
• Variety of natural and man-made container, such as water storage jars, animal feeders, tyres and others
• Gardening utensils including flower pots, watering cans and ornamental containers
• Plants area such as hardened soil, plant axils and planter tray
• Building design such as floor trap, sand trap, gutter and aircond tray
• Natural habitats such as tree holes and ponds

#Rentokil #MsianEndsDengue #Dengue

News Source: Bernama, NST

Image Source: NST