ALOR STAR: The Gunung Keriang area here, previously declared an area with high dengue cases, recorded 11 cases of the disease from May 20 until yesterday.
Kedah state health director Dr Mohd Fikri Ujang, however, said the outbreak was under control and measures had been implemented to control it since the first case was detected.
“The first case was reported on May 20, this year, followed by four more cases on May 22 and has been declared an outbreak in the area on the same day. Control measures have been implemented from May 20 and were still being continued,” he said in a statement, here today.
He said among the control activities carried out were fog spraying, elimination of aedes breeding grounds and health education for local residents.
Meanwhile, 176 premises have been inspected and 14 compounds worth RM7,000 have been issued under the Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act 1975, to the owners of premises found to be breeding aedes mosquitoes.
Dr Mohd Fikri said the level of awareness about the dangers and prevention of dengue is also found to be lacking among the locals.
He explained that some of the early problems identified in the locality was the practice of storing open containers of water outside and inside the house such as in barrels, buckets and bath tubs where large numbers of aedes larvae were found.
He said that from January to yesterday, the cumulative number of dengue cases reported in the state was 399 cases compared with 842 cases for the same period last year.
“It is a decrease of 443 cases or 52.6% this year with no dengue deaths reported in the state so far,” he said.
He also advised people with symptoms of fever, muscle aches, joint pains, vomiting and diarrhoea, especially those living in the vicinity, to seek immediate treatment at a nearby health facility. - Bernama
