Materia Medica Malaysiana

Only one dengue death in Sabah
Kuala Lumpur: Between January and June 14 this year, Malaysia recorded a total of 6,260 cases of dengue fever and 21 deaths.

Of the figure, 116 cases were reported in Sabah with only one death.

Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng provided this additional information on Wednesday in replying to Sabah’s Senator Datuk Christine Vanhouten at the current sitting of the Upper House (Senate).

During question time, she expressed concern over the rise in the number of victims who had succumbed to dengue fever and haemorrhagic dengue fever.

She wanted to know the measures undertaken by the Ministry to curb the threat of a dengue epidemic in the long-term.

Chua said one such measure was to intensify checks on houses and other buildings by members of the Health Ministry and local government authorities to identify and destroy the Aedes mosquito’s breeding-grounds.

“Checks of this nature also cover construction sites, abandoned housing projects, rubbish dumps, factories, schools and vacant land,” he said.

In addition, he said action is taken to raise public awareness and that of target groups like students, housewives and construction workers through health education activities, the mass media, talks, distribution of posters and leaflets as well as gotong-royong.

Other measures include mass-abating activities carried out in areas with an outbreak of cases and those with a high rate of Aedes breeding, anti-Aedes mosquito campaigns and reinforcing legal enforcement action by imposing compound fines, closing premises concerned and taking court action.

The Minister explained the various breeding control and Aedes mosquito eradication programmes implemented by his Ministry, such as the large-scale use of insecticide and biological control (using the bacteria known as Bacillus tharingiensis israelensis or Bti), Rapid Test Kit Insecticide Resistance Test (to monitor the effectiveness of the insecticide), preventive fogging in high-risk areas, dengue-free programme in schools and health provision facilities, and Communication for Behavioural Impact (COMBI).

To seek specialist advice, the Ministry’s Vector-borne Disease Control Division has created an “Expert Group” made up of specialists in specific fields, serving in the Ministry, local universities and other relevant agencies.