Fewer cases in Penang but threat is not over

NST: The decline in reported dengue cases this week compared with the last is not a sign that the disease is on the wane in Penang.
Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon said there were 300 dengue cases reported for the whole of last week compared with 190 cases this week.
He said greater effort was needed to eliminate breeding grounds of the Aedes mosquito.
The increase and decline of reported cases, he added, would not give an accurate picture since such data required a length of time to study.
"However, the statistics will give us a point of reference to identify the areas where we have to concentrate our efforts on.
"It would also help us identify the factors for the spread of the disease," he said at the Bayan Baru Polyclinic in Bayan Baru here.
Present were Pantai Jerejak assemblyman Wong Mun Hoe, Batu Uban assemblyman Goh Kheng Sneah and State health department director Dr Ong Chee Leng.
Lee also appealed to sundry shops and convenience stores to stock up on Abate, a product that kills mosquito larvae in water.
"This would allow the public to use the product to eliminate the breeding grounds of mosquitoes," he said.
He also headed the operation to inspect Lorong Mahsuri and Jalan Sungai Dua here for mosquito-breeding grounds. Joining him was State health committee chairman P.K. Subbaiyah.