Friday, December 5, 2014

Make fighting the dengue menace a priority as it involves lives, Dr Zambry says - The Star


THE Ipoh City Council has received flak from the Perak Mentri Besar over the number of illegal dumpsites found in the city centre.
Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the city council should not give any excuses and must clear the dumpsites that were said to be a contributing factor to the high number of dengue cases in Ipoh.
Dr Zambry was also fuming over the fact that due to dengue, the number of deaths had risen to 17.
“Though we are not the highest when compared to other states, it is not an excuse not to do anything about it.
“Dengue is a serious matter as it involves lives,” he said after chairing the state executive council meeting on Wednesday.
“The city council and all the other local councils must take action to ensure that dengue cases are minimised or eradicated,” he said.
It has been reported that about 1,263 dumpsites were found scattered throughout the city, allowing Aedes mosquitoes to breed.
Dr Zambry stressed that the city council should not use the lack of allocations as its excuse.
“If they don’t have the resources, come to the state government. They must know how to prioritise matters and take immediate action as it involves lives,” he said.
“People are dying. They cannot say no budget,” he added.
Dr Zambry said the state was also looking into the possibility of introducing the usage of polystyrene foam pellets to cover septic tanks at residential areas.
“This is one method that we are looking at that can stop mosquitoes from breeding, apart from having cleaning activities.
“This will be useful in areas that are prone to having dengue cases,” he said.

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