By Yasmin Ramlan
PETALING JAYA, May 23 — The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has identified seven new dengue hotspots, signalling a need for improved effort to combat the viral disease.
The seven hotspots are Idaman Apartment in PJU 10, Kampung Sungai Kayu Ara 2 in PJU 6A, SS 4B, SS 21, Kelana D’Putera and Kelana Puteri condominiums in SS7, and Medan Cahaya 1 Apartment in PJS 2C.
Petaling Jaya Mayor Mohamad Zahri Samingon said the existing task force responsible for addressing the issue has been instructed to ramp up its efforts by July.
“In the next 100 days, my aim is to reduce the number of dengue cases in Petaling Jaya, because if we do this, it will have a significant impact on the overall number of cases in the country.
“We have established a special committee for dengue. However, we will only fully focus on it by July, as there are numerous events taking place in June,” he said at a press conference after attending an event to provide an update on his first 100 days in office at MBPJ’s Banquet Hall, here, today.
Elaborating, Zahri said among MBPJ’s efforts to curb dengue include collaboration with the district health office, local councillors and residents’ associations to provide better explanation to local residents on the danger of the disease.
“The district health office is facing various limitations, including resource constraints. However, our focus is on returning to normalcy by addressing the root cause, which is related to stagnant water.
“Key issues include clogged drains, illegal farming, uncollected garbage and abandoned vehicles,” he said.
He added that stringent measures will be taken to address the issue, in line with the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988.
