Tawau tops Sabah dengue list
Published on: Thursday, December 05, 2019
By: Lagatah Toyos
Navindran (left) during a ceremony.
TAWAU: Dengue cases in the district are alarming with some 732 cases reported this year alone, making Tawau as the worst of dengue district in the State last year.Tawau Health Officer, Dr G Navindran said poor waste management and dumping everywhere has contributed to the increase in dengue cases, including in local and foreign housing areas.
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He said it was difficult to define an area as a hot zone as there were many hotspots in the district and the incidents were not static in one area due to human movement and irregular waste disposal.
However, he said housing area or villages recorded the highest number of dengue cases.
“Among the areas are Taman Semarak, Taman Ria, Taman Wawasan, Batu 2 until Batu 4.
“We should not blame the foreigners because from our inspection is not only their areas that have a lots of garbage but also in the local settlements, whether it is new or not.
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“Therefore, we hope that the public will cooperate with the Health Department and MPT to clean up their areas so that dengue cases can be reduced and our environment is clean and safe,” he told media after officiating the Kick Dengue programme held at Community Hall here, Wednesday.
It was organised by the Tawau Health Office in collaboration with Tawau Municipal Council (MPT), involving the Native Chiefs, the Head of the Chinese Community, the Village Head and the Village Community Management Council (MPKK).
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Navindran said this year, there is no cases of dengue fever have been recorded as the public may start to realise the importance of getting early treatment, not to mention that they are now providing special dengue counter.
“In the past, people did not want to be warded but after several death incidents, they began to listen to and agreed for treatment,” he said.
Meanwhile, he hopes through the programme, it will raise public awareness on the importance of maintaining hygiene and that responsibility is not only confined to the Health Department nor to the MPT, in particular, in waste management.
He said some people think that fogging will kill mosquitoes while it is only for the purpose of removing adult mosquitoes, while eggs and breeding areas are not destroyed.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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