A TOTAL of 1,055 dengue fever cases were reported from January to March 28, a rise of 729 cases or 223.6 per cent compared to 326 cases for the same period last year.
Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Edward Yong Oui Fah told the State Legislative Assembly sitting yesterday that there were two dengue fatalities from the total, one each in Kota Kinabalu and Semporna.
Replying to a question by Limus Jury (BN-Kuala Penyu), Yong said Kota Kinabalu and Penampang were the two districts with the highest number of dengue cases.
“During the period, 567 cases were reported in Kota Kinabalu, an increase of 463 cases or 743.9 percent compared to 104 cases during the same period last year while in Penampang, there were 156 cases, an increase of 2,500 percent, compared to only six cases during the same period last year,” he said.
According to Yong, 174 personnel from the State Health Department were monitoring the trend and had launched several mega operations since March to check the spread of the disease.
The Sabah Health Department has taken preventive and control measures at high-risk dengue localities such as Likas by imposing compounds on owners of positive Aedes breeding premises, entomology research activities and mosquito larviciding (insect larval life stage insecticide) to eliminate Aedes larvae, Yong said.
Besides that, home inspections, elimination of Aedes mosquito breeding grounds and fogging to eliminate adult Aedes mosquitoes had also been done, he added.
Yong said fogging had been undertaken once a week and repeated within seven or 10 days from the first fogging. The dengue-hit Kampung Likas, Taman Kemajuan Likas, Kampung Likas Lama and Kampung Cenderamata 2 were now under control.
In addition, he said the government was also collaborating with community leaders, government agencies and NGOs to implement specific activities such as gotong royong to control the issue.