Sempurai (standing, fourth right), Justani (standing, sixth right) and others in a photo-call at Rumah Anyie.
SIBU: Six dengue cases were reported in areas under the jurisdiction of Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC) in January this year.
Council chairman Sempurai Petrus Ngelai said they were holding health talks and ‘gotong-royong’ (work party) with residents at these areas to curb the spread of dengue fever.
He said the number of dengue cases was quite worrying, but said the situation was still under control.
“There are six cases of dengue for the month of January 2017, versus four cases reported during the corresponding period in 2016. The recent outbreak at Sungai Buluh, Selangau area is considered over, since there are no new cases reported. So, this shows the drastic increase in term of cases.
“Personally, I am very concerned with this pattern although the situation is still under control,” he said when officiating at the start of a health talk at Rumah Anyie, Sungai Buluh, Arip in Selangau near here on Thursday.
SRDC through its Public Health Section conducted the health talk and ‘gotong royong’ together with Health Department.
Sempurari added: “I have also urged the longhouse folk to look after the surrounding area at their longhouse to keep it free from becoming potential breeding ground for potential Aedes mosquito by carrying out monthly ‘gotong- royong’ to clean their longhouse compound.
“We will do this health talk and ‘gotong-royong’ as our ongoing action and activities to reduce the dengue cases at our (SRDC’s) jurisdiction.”
He also reminded members of the public that SRDC through its Public Health Section and its health inspectors would check on Aedes mosquito larvae at house compounds to make sure that house owners would keep their house clean.
Sempurai stressed that everyone should play their roles to reduce the dengue cases, adding that it must be a serious collective responsibility from government agencies and the residents in fighting dengue.
Meanwhile, longhouse chief Anyie Kansu, who also spoke at the function, gave the assurance that his longhouse would follow Health Department’s directives to clean their longhouse compound more regularly to prevent them becoming potential breeding ground for Aedes mosquito.
The organising chairman of the health talk Badie Ujan, who is also the zone councillor of the area, urged the longhouse residents there to be more proactive in cleaning their area to keep dengue fever at bay.
At the function, Sempurai symbolically handed over plastic bags to the longhouse residents for the ‘gotong-royong’ campaign.
Present at the function were SRDC secretary Justani Joni, Health inspector Bilong Engkas and four chieftains from nearby longhouses.