BY LIZAWATI MADFA
SHAH ALAM, OCT 12: The accusation that poor garbage and solid waste management in Selangor is the main reason it records the highest number of dengue cases is unfounded and baseless, stressed Dr Daroyah Alwi.
Health, Welfare, Women and Family Development Exco, Dr Daroyah Alwi said, local authorities are constantly working closely together with Malaysian Health Ministry and State Health Departments to eradicate Aedes and dengue.
She said, statistics from KDEB Waste Management Sdn Bhd, the company that manages solid waste collection and general cleaning for three local authorities has been showing a declining trend from time to time.
“This indirectly proves that the State Government is handling the waste collection services well.
“Death rate in Selangor is merely 0.15 and that is among the lowest in Malaysia and is below national death rate which is 0.23,” she said in a statement.
Last October 10, Deputy Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said Selangor recorded the highest number of dengue cases due to poor garbage collection.
Daroyah said, the main reason dengue is becoming an epidemic is due to population density and influx of almost 1 million foreign workers who neglect cleanliness and hygiene.
She said, dengue is an urban disease that often occurs in big cities due to thriving development projects.
“We can see how clean is our neighbour, Singapore, but they also record the same dengue cases.
“Therefore, it is not fair for this dengue statistics to be seen from a single factor, it needs to be seen a whole,” said Daroyah.
The Malaysia Statistics Department’s data showed that Selangor’s population is approximately 6.2 million people.
Daroyah said, that excludes almost 2 million people from other states, who reside in Selangor such as students in higher education institutions and people who come to work here.
“Adding that to the number of foreign workers, Selangor is estimated to have around 9.2 million population,” she said.
Exco: Poor waste management causes dengue is baseless accusation
