Sarawak longhouse chiefs urged to join in anti-dengue fight

Longhouse chiefs in the state have been urged to join in the fight to stop the spread of dengue fever. 1Malaysia Sarawak Advisory Council chairman Datuk Joseph Salang said the fight must go on despite a drop from 786 cases between January and June last year, to 674 cases and three deaths in the same period this year, as state health department statistics showed. "We must never be complacent as when dengue spreads, it can become an epidemic. "Peninsula Malaysia, particularly Kuala Lumpur is experiencing a serious upsurge in the cases," he said at a meet-the-people session at Rh Jelian Laja in Nanga Matop here last night. (Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam had recently said there had been a 246 percent spike in dengue cases and 215 percent increase in the number of deaths nationwide. He said between January and June 28 this year, Malaysia recorded 44,518 dengue cases, an increase of 31,660 from the 12,858 cases reported in the corresponding period last year. Eighty-five deaths were recorded this year, an increase of 58 from only 27 in the same period in 2013, according to Subramaniam.) Meanwhile, Salang said the chiefs should organise regular cleaning campaigns in their respective longhouse compounds to destroy all potential aedes mosquito breeding places like discarded fruit shells, empty tins and others. "Dengue is a life threatening sickness and can spread easily," he said.