Act quickly before situation worsens

Star: The country’s dengue situation may take a turn for the worse if the authorities and the public do not adopt the appropriate attitude and measures to contain the disease, said a leading epidemiologist.
Dr Lekhraj Rampal, associate professor at the Department of Community Health in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, said the number of dengue cases last year were double that of 2000.
“We face the risk of the disease turning into an epidemic.
“The Government, local authorities, community leaders and the public need to work together to control the disease,” he said.
Dr Lekhraj said most mosquito breeding grounds were found in homes in urban areas, so these sources must be destroyed.
The health departments and local authorities should ensure fogging was carried out at the right hour (dusk and dawn) and that the exercise followed a seven-day cycle, he said.
He also called for tougher penalties against people whose premises were found to have conditions conducive for mosquitoes to breed in.
Meanwhile, schools and hospitals need to take extra precautions to prevent the spread of the disease, said Dr Lekhraj.
The disease progresses from dengue fever to dengue haemorrhagic fever and finally dengue shock syndrome, which is fatal.