The Star 4 Oct 16;
JOHOR BARU: The number of dengue cases and deaths in Johor has declined in the first nine months of the year.
There were 9,348 cases and 16 deaths from January until September, said state Health and Environment committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat.
During the corresponding period last year, 11,377 cases were recorded with 33 deaths.
A 38-year-old woman from Jalan Khalidi, Muar, was the latest person who died of dengue, Ayub said.
He attributed the reduced cases to better public awareness and the search and destroy method introduced by the Johor Baru City Council.
The method, he said, would identify places such as abandoned and vacant houses and construction sites which had become mosquito-breeding grounds.
Apart from issuing fines or compounds to the owners of the houses or sites, he said the state authorities would also bill them for cleaning up their premises.
“We hope the local councils in the Johor Baru district will adopt the method used by MBJB,” he said.
“We are not resting on our laurels despite the declining number of dengue cases. We will continue to beef up our efforts to reduce the cases,” Ayub told a press conference yesterday after presenting awards to winners of a contest on clean primary school canteens organised by the Johor Health Department food safety and quality division.
As for Zika cases, he said the screening of visitors entering the country from Singapore via the Causeway here and the Second Link Crossing in Tanjung Kilang, Gelang Patah, would continue.
