Public apathy causes spike in dengue cases

NST: PUTRAJAYA: In just six days, 961 dengue cases were reported in the country. The Health Ministry's disease control division director Datuk Dr Hassan Abdul Rahman said Selangor topped the list with 353 cases reported between Oct 12 and 18.
He said that several states reported an increase in dengue cases. Among them were Perak with a 214 per cent increase, Terengganu (78.9 per cent), Putrajaya (50 per cent), Selangor (49.6 per cent), Johor (44.8 per cent) and Sabah (20 per cent).
However, only one death was reported last week, bringing the number of dengue-related deaths this year to 81. Since January, 36,991 dengue cases had been reported.
He blamed public apathy for the situation. Ministry officials and district councils found that 78.9 per cent of Aedes breeding grounds were in houses and shops, he said.
The Aedes index was high at road dividers (38.8 per cent), playgrounds (17 per cent), empty lots (11.1 per cent) and construction sites (5.8 per cent).
Dr Hassan said the ministry had distributed 68,665 leaflets on preventing dengue at Aedes-prone locations. A total of 316 compounds worth RM55,665 had also been issued. He urged the public to spend 10 minutes every week to locate and destroy mosquito breeding spots around their house.