New insecticide cuts down dengue cases

Detailed check: A health department officer testing water-filled containers for mosquito larvae at the backyard of a house in Section 7, Shah Alam.

SHAH ALAM: A synthetic insecticide is slowly turning the tide in the battle against dengue.

The deltamethrin-based compound is being sprayed outdoors and will soon be put in commercial paint to kill Aedes mosquitoes indoors.

The Health Ministry, which has been spraying the insecticide since Feb 11, said there was a drop in the number of dengue cases since then.

The number of cases nationwide decreased from 2,275 two weeks ago to 2,006 last week, said Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.

“The exercise has been effective in Selangor, the state most affected by the epidemic, accounting for 58% of total cases reported in the country so far this year,” he told reporters after visiting a dengue hotspot in Section 7, Shah Alam.

“Spraying at 71 hotspots in Petaling, Hulu Langat, Gombak and Klang has led to a decrease of up to 98% in reported cases,” he said.

“While the spray kills the mosquitoes outdoors, we still need to kill them indoors.

“So we want to have the insecticide mixed with paint used for walls to kill the mosquitoes upon contact.

“The special paint was the brainchild of the Institute of Medical Research.

“We are discussing with paint companies on putting the chemical into their products and we hope to have the paint in the market by July.”

Dr Subramaniam assured the public that the insecticide did not pose any health hazard to humans.

He said the developers of 95 construction sites found breeding Aedes mosquitoes would be brought to court.

He also said the number of reported dengue cases was 30,890 between Jan 1 and March 21, compared to 21,967 in the corresponding period last year.