PETALING JAYA: Personal hygiene must be emphasised as the nation faces another health threat – dengue fever.
While attention has been focused solely on battling Covid-19, the dengue threat is raging across the country.
Over 50,000 cases have been reported nationwide this year, with 88 individuals having succumbed to it.
Equal attention should also be placed in the fight against dengue and, just like Covid-19, personal cleanliness is essential, according to health expert Prof Dr Rusli Nordin.
“Both are separate but dangerous situations and should require adequate attention from the health authorities,” Rusli, who is head of the School of Medicine at Taylor’s University, told theSun yesterday.
He noted the outbreak had yet to show any sign of easing, but steps can be taken to curb the spread and prevent another health threat.
“We must keep the environment clean. Places where stagnant water can collect, such as construction sites, must be cleaned,” he advised.
He said fogging and larviciding should also be carried out at potential breeding grounds and places where cases have been reported.
Rusli noted in the past, people had organised gotong-royong activities to clean up their surroundings. Dengue is carried by the Aedes mosquito, which breeds in stagnant water.
“Therefore, environmental sanitation is important because it is impossible to eliminate dengue,” he added.
He also called for parallel updates on dengue and Covid-19.
In the past 30 days, dengue cases have been reported in four localities in Petaling Jaya, namely Seksyen 19(1), SS2 Ken Damansara, SS5C and at the SS6 customs complex.
The Petaling Jaya City Council said hotspot surveillance activities were carried out, even during the movement control order, and they had identified several hotspots.
A total of 2,511 cases and one fatality due to dengue have been reported in the district so far this year.
The Subang Jaya Municipal Council said 4,162 cases have been reported in the area under its jurisdiction and activities such as fogging, larviciding and inspection of possible breeding sites have been carried out.
It also warned action will be taken against those found guilty of neglect in preventing the disease from spreading.
