Klang Municipal Council’s (MPK) Health Department has warned residents in Pandamaran, Bandar Bukit Tinggi and Taman Sentosa neighbourhoods to clean up and remove stagnant water in and around their homes to protect themselves from the Aedes mosquitoes that carry the dengue disease.

Department director Azmi Muji said there were nine cases in Pandamaran, five cases in Bandar Bukit Tinggi and three cases in Taman Sentosa where active fogging is being carried out.

“Our health inspectors have confirmed dengue cases in these three neighbourhoods. We have also noted one case in Taman Gembira in this epidemiological week 22 until June 5. Our team has ramped up its vector control inspections and surveillance”.

“Due, to the interchanging warm weather with rainfall in the afternoons, it has caused a spike of Aedes mosquitoes. We need to bring down the population of adult mosquitoes responsible for transmitting the virus. Our men had begun to apply ultra-low volume (ULV) misting in Pandamaran, Bandar Bukit Tinggi and Taman Sentosa, ” he said.

He added the warm weather makes mosquitoes more active and causes them to pass through their life cycle, from egg to larva and to maturity, at a faster pace.

Azmi urged all households in Klang district to clean up their home compounds.

“We want people to turn pails and watering cans upside down to prevent any potential for mosquitoes to breed. People are at home due to the pandemic and we encourage them to clean their homes, ” he said.

MPK's environmental health officer Zakaria Ismail advised residents to just spend 10mins a week to ensure empty containers are not filled with water as these can become breeding sites and everyone must be committed to fighting the menace.

“Most of the time, it is the people’s indifference that hampers our efforts. But the council is committed to curbing the dengue menace in the Klang district, ” he said.

Asked if there were cases over the week in Taman Chi Liung, Azmi said no cases were recorded.

Azmi said from January to June 5, Klang district recorded 1, 042 cases a drop of 80.2% compared to the same corresponding period last year that recorded 5, 273 cases.

According to doctors, classic symptoms of dengue fever are high fever, headache, body ache (both muscle and bone), weakness, vomiting, sore throat, altered taste sensation and rashes, among others.

Experts say that due to the unbearable pain, the term break-bone fever is sometimes used to describe dengue fever. And dengue haemorrhagic fever is particularly dangerous.

There is no vaccine available yet against dengue fever.

Article Credit to - [the Star]