SMC contract workers cleaning the drain in Jalan Pedada.
SIBU: The hotbed for dengue in Sarawak – areas under the jurisdiction of Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) – has for the first time, reported a gigantic drop of 93% in cases this year, compared to 2016.
After recording the most number of cases in the state for the past few years, the council stepped up efforts this year to stamp out the scourge.
Waging an all out war against Aedes mosquitoes, SMC achieved a quantum leap when the total number of cases nosedived from 1,299 cases in 2016 to just 92 cases as at 48th week of 2017.
So far there is no fatality this year compared to four who succumbed to dengue haemorrhagic fever in 2016. The four victims include a 25-year-old man from Jalan Wong King Hoe, a 10-year-old girl from Merlin Lane, a 60-yearold woman from Jalan Sentosa and
a 47-year-old man from Jalan Merdeka.
Most cases occurred in area where indiscriminate dumping of rubbish was rampant, besides the presence of abandoned houses.
In comparison, there were 49.9% more cases reported in 2016 against 1,034 cases in 2015.
Sibu, especially in areas under SMC’s jurisdiction, bucked the trend this year as most other places in Sarawak and Malaysia recorded a drastic increase in dengue cases.
According to a story in The Star on Oct 11, Selangor saw a sharp rise in cases accounting for half of the country’s 74,641 cases for the January-October period this year.
There were 130 cases daily or 900 a week in Selangor. Seven deaths were also reported during the period.
Perak also recorded a sharp increase in dengue cases this year,compared with last year.
Perak Health Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon was quoted as saying that from Jan 1 to Nov 30 this year, a total of 5,216 cases of dengue fever were reported in the state – a 51.2% increase from the 3,449 cases reported in the same period last year.
Eleven deaths were reported this year, compared with 10 deaths in the corresponding period last year.
In Sarawak, according to the Medical Department’s statistics, from Jan 1 to Nov 18, 2017, 10 districts showed an increase of more than five cases, compared with the same period in 2016. Betong recorded 24 cases, Bau 20, Serian 18, Saratok 14, Lawas 12, Sarikei 10, Pakan 9, Tatau 9, Lundu 8, and Selangau 6.
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