Dengue cases in Kedah at alarming level, says exco

Source: Malay Mail

SUNGAI PETANI, April 28 -- Dengue cases in Kedah are at an alarming level, with a total of 1,550 cases reported in the 16th Epidemiological Week (ME16) this year, compared with 1,301 cases recorded for the same period last year.

State Housing, Local Government and Health Committee chairman Major (Rtd) Mansor Zakaria said the figure showed an increase of 19.1 per cent or 249 cases.

He said there were deaths in the period, compared with zero cases for the same period last year.

"As of the ME 16 this year, 136 dengue outbreaks were recorded in Kedah, compared with 121 dengue outbreaks reported in the same period last year, an increase of 12.4 per cent.

"This development requires immediate attention and action from the community and the authorities," he told reporters while inspecting one of the dengue hotspot localities in Taman Sejati Indah, here today.

Mansor said a total of 95,307 premises have been inspected thus far, of which 6,297 of them have been found to have breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes.

He added that a total of 1,756 compound notices, worth RM848,900, were issued under the Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act 1975.

Meanwhile, he said that the state health department, in collaboration with the state government, introduced QR Codes for self-inspection of Aedes breeding grounds, to encourage residents to check Aedes breeding grounds in their own homes, since January.

He said that, for a start, this initiative involves residents in some at-risk localities, and will be expanded throughout the state in the future.

"The QR code provides a guide to places at risk of Aedes breeding and allows the destruction of breeding places to be recorded. The data on the use of this QR code will be monitored and evaluated by the health department, for the provision of achievement incentives at the individual and community level by the state government, to cultivate behaviour to keep the house clean every week," he said. -- Bernama