RM1m fines collected for letting Aedes breed

NST: PUTRAJAYA: The obvious health risks aside, not maintaining one’s compound and allowing Aedes mosquitoes to breed has financial consequences. This year alone, health authorities have collected close to RM1 million in compound fines.
That’s a lot of breeding places, considering the maximum fine is RM500.
Last week, four schools — one each in Penang, Kedah, Perak and Kuala Lumpur — were slapped with fines ranging from RM150 to RM300.
Selangor and Kuala Lumpur have the most number of dengue cases. Both areas, and Penang, will be the main focus of the fight against the Aedes mosquito in view of Visit Malaysia Year 2007, said director of disease control Datuk Dr Ramlee Rahmat.
During the Health Ministry’s weekly dengue update, he said that last week, nine construction sites, 149 homes and shoplots, and four factories in Selangor were penalised. In Kuala Lumpur, five construction sites and six shopping centres were fined.
Hot spots in the Klang Valley include Setapak, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, Kajang, Petaling Jaya, Gombak, Cheras and Ampang Jaya, he said.
Last week, Selangor had 313 cases, up 23 over the previous week, while in Kuala Lumpur there were 13 more cases than the week before, with 190.
In Penang, the number of cases went down from 116 the week before last to 102 last week.