A 4WD vehicle mounted with a mist sprayer being utilised by the Health Department to destroy Aedes mosquitoes.
SIBU: The Health Department is using 4WD vehicles fitted with a mist sprayer to spray insecticides to destroy Aedes mosquitoes.
According to its website, 1,399 dengue cases had been reported in Sarawak as of Oct 3.
State health director Datu Dr Zulkifli Jantan said the method employed was among the various steps taken to curb the spread of dengue. He added it had enabled them to cover bigger areas compared to the existing hand-held fogging machines.
“The 4WD carries a different machine – a mist sprayer that can deliver a different insecticide that can kill adults as well as larvae (of Aedes mosquitoes).
“Its coverage is wider than the hand-held fogging machines,” Dr Zulkifli told The Borneo Post yesterday.
A 4WD vehicle was spotted spraying insecticide near Nanyang Garden – one of the dengue hotspots here. He said the method had been used for many years but could only be used in areas that the vehicles could access.
“Hand fogging gives a better access,” he noted.
According to statistics from the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) of state Health Department’s Communicable Disease Control Section, 53 cases were reported in the state for Epid Week 38 (Sept 14 till 20).
Sibu district has the highest accumulative cases at 496 as of Sept 20, followed by Miri (142), Kuching (101), Daro (59), Bintulu (53), Kapit (50), Betong (45), Saratok (39) and Serian (32) while other districts recorded less than 30 cases.
Meanwhile, Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) deputy chairman Datuk Andrew Wong said based on records, Aedes mosquitoes usually breed in receptacles containing water and that they find it difficult to breed in clogged drains unlike normal mosquitoes.
“Our advice to the public is to keep their surroundings clean and dispose of any receptacles that can collect water,” Wong said.
He added members of the public could contact the council if they suspect their drains are breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Asked if SMC carried out door-to-door inspection to check for Aedes breeding grounds and issued compounds to offenders, he said the matter was handled by the Ministry of Health.
“We assist them in fogging upon their request. In terms of fogging, we need to seek their advice as to how often this can be carried out.
“This is because we don’t want the resistance of the mosquitoes to build up in that area.
“We can only do so if it is required by MoH. This is something that we hope the public can understand,” Wong said.