Dengue cases down 23 per cent in Kuching
KUCHING: The number of dengue cases reported here in Week 47 of this year has declined by 23.4 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year.
Public health consultant of Health Department here Dr Azlee Ayub said the division recorded 164 dengue cases untill Nov 26 compared to 217 cases over the same period in 2016.
“This is good news and we will continue to make sure Aedes mosquitoes are under control so we will not have a dengue epidemic in Kuching. We remind everybody to make sure their homes and properties are clean and not serve as breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquito,” he said in a press conference yesterday on the state-level `Gotong- Royong Programme’ to be held this Sunday ( Dec 10) at Demak Laut Commercial Centre.
Dr Azlee also pointed out that the only way to control the Aedes mosquito is to wipe out their breeding spots.
“Larviciding and fogging are only complementary control measures that cannot eradicate the Aedes mosquito,” he said, stressing the importance of raising awareness of how to combat Aedes.
He also commended the local councils for their role in helping control and prevent dengue cases, and called on the business community, non- governmental organisations and the public to work together to prevent the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes in urban and rural areas.