KUCHING: Sarawak recorded 637 dengue cases from Jan 1 to Feb 29 this year, a sharp increase from 314 cases for the same period last year.
Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said 68 cases were recorded in Kuching within that period.
“The national mortality or death rate from dengue alone in 2019 was 162 deaths a year,” he said in his Facebook post.
In view of this, he encouraged local councils in Sarawak to allow grass cutting work to resume and consider it as an essential service, especially during the third phase of the movement control order (MCO).
“It is a matter of public health as it helps to keep the general environment clean and curbs the spread of any unwanted diseases such as dengue,” he pointed out.
Dr Yii said based on general observations including public feedback, the grass cutting work had stopped since MCO was enforced, thus causing more overgrown grasses, weeds or even excess vegetation in the drains and by the roadsides.
“That is why activities such as grass cutting or even flushing of drains should be allowed to be continued to remove any possible breeding ground of Aedes mosquitoes, especially during the recent hot weather,” he said.
Dr Yii added overgrown grasses could even act as hiding places of dangerous reptiles such as snakes and monitor lizards that might invade residential homes and endanger the occupants.
“However, the grass cutting should always be carried out with the necessary precautions and be done in isolation with proper distancing,” he said.
The MP stressed that precautions must be taken by the councils and the workers as safety and security measures must not be compromised at any cost.
“Any workers should be screened first, and during their work, they must carry out the grass-cutting in isolation. They can also do daily monitoring of body temperatures and other signs of all their workers before they commence their daily work,” he said.
Dr Yii pointed out that the federal government had listed grass cutting as one of the types of work allowed during the MCO.
“However, in Sarawak, we have our own Local Council Ordinance, thus giving us the autonomy to decide whether the local councils should follow the directive or not.
“While we are all taking all the necessary precautions and fighting the outbreak of Covid-19, we must not let our guard down as other diseases are also still existing and possibly spreading in our midst,” he stressed.
“That is why it is important we do not take our eyes off the ball with regards to dengue or other diseases, and learn how we can protect ourselves and our families from the tiny but dangerous Aedes mosquito.”
