Dr Deburra (front row, sixth right) and several residents hold a banner that highlights a number of ways to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
KAPIT: The Health Department together with Kapit District Council (KDC) held a ‘gotong-royong’ (work party) yesterday at a neighbourhood near KM3 Jalan Selirik here, which was recently declared as a dengue outbreak area.
The programme was led by the district’s health officer Dr Deburra Peak Ngadan.
“The activity involves all members of this community. It serves to remind them to pay more attention to the cleanliness of their houses and surrounding compounds, towards ensuring that they are free from not only Aedes mosquitoes, but also other pests,” she said.
The housing area, which comprises three blocks of flat units, recorded several dengue cases recently but according to Dr Deburra, the situation is now under control.
“This ‘gotong-royong’ is a preventive measure against the dengue menace. Apart from the mass clean-up, we also carry out ‘larviciding’ to kill mosquitoes while they are still in larval life stage,” she added.
The programme yesterday also included a health talk for the residents on the importance of keeping their house compound clean and tidy free from any diseases.