ID :
189136
Fri, 06/17/2011 - 05:36
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/189136
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DPM CALLS FOR CONCERTED EFFORTS TO FIGHT DENGUE FEVER
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has called for concerted efforts to fight dengue fever.
He said the involvement of the people and community leaders in rural and housing areas through the "Communication for Behaviour Change" (Combi) should be intensified as only 18 per cent of gotong-royong was carried out in dengue-infected areas.
"Preventive measures carried out by locating and destroying Aedes mosquito breeding grounds on weekly basis is the most effective way of weeding out the menace as the basic principle is to ensure that there is no breeding place.
"Therefore, I call upon the community, government agencies and
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to step up cleanliness in housing areas, educational institutions and working places to curtail Aedes breeding," he said when opening the Asean Dengue Day celebration and re-launching the national-level Combi here Thursday.
Muhyiddin said the government had taken proactive measures to bring the dengue menace under control and the steps taken so far had shown a positive result as the number of cases had declined since the fourth quarter of last year.
He said from Jan 1 to June 12, only 9,224 dengue fever cases with 14 deaths were reported nationwide compared with 21,309 cases and 69 deaths in the corresponding period last year.
Although the figure had dropped by 57 per cent, the people should not be complacent to the extend that they forget the need to carry out preventive measures, he said, adding that in fact, they should be done continuously as the situation could reverse due to public apathy.
On Combi, he said so far 2,126 Combi projects, of which 205 by NGOs, had been were carried out nationwide through the people's involvement on voluntary basis.
He hoped more Combi projects would be carried out to create public awareness on the need to check and eliminate Aedes mosquito breeding grounds in residential areas.
Earlier, Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai paid tribute to Combi members for contributing to the drastic drop in dengue cases.
"The struggle has not ended, strengthening ties among agencies in combating dengue will continue to be an important government agenda," he said.
He said the involvement of the people and community leaders in rural and housing areas through the "Communication for Behaviour Change" (Combi) should be intensified as only 18 per cent of gotong-royong was carried out in dengue-infected areas.
"Preventive measures carried out by locating and destroying Aedes mosquito breeding grounds on weekly basis is the most effective way of weeding out the menace as the basic principle is to ensure that there is no breeding place.
"Therefore, I call upon the community, government agencies and
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to step up cleanliness in housing areas, educational institutions and working places to curtail Aedes breeding," he said when opening the Asean Dengue Day celebration and re-launching the national-level Combi here Thursday.
Muhyiddin said the government had taken proactive measures to bring the dengue menace under control and the steps taken so far had shown a positive result as the number of cases had declined since the fourth quarter of last year.
He said from Jan 1 to June 12, only 9,224 dengue fever cases with 14 deaths were reported nationwide compared with 21,309 cases and 69 deaths in the corresponding period last year.
Although the figure had dropped by 57 per cent, the people should not be complacent to the extend that they forget the need to carry out preventive measures, he said, adding that in fact, they should be done continuously as the situation could reverse due to public apathy.
On Combi, he said so far 2,126 Combi projects, of which 205 by NGOs, had been were carried out nationwide through the people's involvement on voluntary basis.
He hoped more Combi projects would be carried out to create public awareness on the need to check and eliminate Aedes mosquito breeding grounds in residential areas.
Earlier, Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai paid tribute to Combi members for contributing to the drastic drop in dengue cases.
"The struggle has not ended, strengthening ties among agencies in combating dengue will continue to be an important government agenda," he said.
