Health ministry seeks Selangor govt's help in curbing dengue

Almost 60 per cent of dengue cases in the country have been reported in Selangor alone, according to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam. In this regard, he said the state government through its agencies had a crucial role to help the health ministry in carrying out relevant activities to curb the incidence. He regretted the lack of commitment on the part of the local authority, "which would send only an ordinary officer to attend important meetings at the ministry". "An ordinary officer does not have the power to decide. We want them to send a senior officer, someone who has the authority to make decisions and effectively resolve an issue," he told the media after an unofficial visit to Kajang Hospital here today. Meanwhile, Dr Subramaniam said the agency responsible for managing solid waste and cleanliness should ensure that aedes mosquitoes had no place to breed freely. "The power is in their hands. If they utilise their authority to the optimum, a lot of these issues can be resolved," he said. Since January until Feb 20 this year, 13,915 cases of dengue fever were recorded nationwide, of which 7,507 were in Selangor. Of the 25 fatalities within the period, nine were recorded in Selangor.