Hefty fine awaits Aedes ‘breeders’

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ALL EARS: Local residents listening to a briefing prior to the cleaning campaign.

ALL EARS: Local residents listening to a briefing prior to the cleaning campaign.

SARIKEI: People here have been warned of incurring a hefty compound or fine if Aedes mosquitoes were found to breed in their premises.

Divisional Health Department officer Hasharuddin Yope Ismail in his briefing in conjunction with a ‘gotong-royong’ cleaning campaign at Hua Tai Road 1 & 2, Friendship Road and Bindang Road residential areas here last Sunday said that premises found with Aedes larva could cause its owner to part with RM500.

“RM500 is the amount…owners are liable for as provided for under Section 25 of Disease-Bearing Insects Act 1975 (amendment 2000),” he stated.

Failure to pay the compound could cause the owner to be charged under the same act in court, he said, adding, if convicted the owner was liable to a fine of up to RM10,000 or two years’ imprisonment or both for the first count of offence.

For the second count of offence, the offender was liable to a fine of up to RM50,000 or five years’ imprisonment or both, he said, adding, the act also provided a compound in the sum of not exceeding RM500 on a daily basis till the breeding places were totally destroyed.

The authorities had to impose the drastic legal action as all efforts to control the spread of dengue diseases seemed to receive poor response from the public, he said, adding the number of dengue cases in the division continued to increase despite the numerous awareness and educational programmes being carried out continuously by the various authorities.

A check with the divisional Health Department operation room confirmed that till last week, 31 cases were reported in the division comprising 12 each in Sarikei and Pakan, two in Julau and five in Meradong.

Among those present at the campaign were District Officer Abang Mohd Porkan Abang Budiman and Councillor Teng Ung Woo.