KUCHING: Some 500 people from various government agencies and private sectors are expected to participate in a mega statelevel gotong-rotong anti-dengue cleaning campaign at Demak Laut Commercial Centre, Jalan Bako on December 10 ( Sunday).
The participants will be from the Kuching Division Resident Office, Ministry of Local Government, Kuching Dist r ict Of f ice, the Malaysian Armed Forces, Maritime Enforcement Agencies, RELA, Malaysian Civil Defence, Kuching City North Commission (DBKU), Kuching Ci ty South Counci l (MBKS), Padawan Municipal Council (MPP), Trienekens, Bako and Petra Jaya Health Clinics, Allied Health Sciences College and Public Health College. Residents from the nearby villages such as Kampung Senari, Kampung Goebilt and Kampung Sejingkat are also expected to participate in the programme.
The programme which i s organised by Sarawak State Health Department in collaboration with Kuching Division Resident Office and Kuching Division Health Office will be officiated by Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, Minister for Local Government and Housing.
During a press conference at the Kuching Division Resident Office here yesterday, Kuching Division Deputy Resident, Tuah Anak Suni said the programme is a collaboration between the Ministry of Health with the local community and is carried out annually in every district nationwide.
“This programme focuses on localities that are facing problems whereby the area is neglected by the public. Empty lands or lots, rubbish dump ground, abandoned houses and construction sites that contribute to the breeding of aedes mosquitoes. “The activities involve all government agencies and non-government including the local community.
The activities that will be carried out are clearing of rubbish dumps, checking of breeding grounds on aedes mosquitoes, larviciding activities, fogging and health education,” Tuah added.
Meanwhile, Dr Azlee Ayub, Medical Health Officer of Kuching Division said that the reason for choosing the Demak Laut Commercial Centre as the location for the gotong-royong programme was because the area used to be a repeated dengue breakout area last year. The first breakout occurred in 2016 involving 18 cases and is a hotspot area whereby the breakout lasted for 55 days.
Last October, there was another series of breakouts involving four cases but was under control within 12 days. Dr Azlee added that there were a lot of residential blocks which are unoccupied and become rubbish dumping grounds.
“Up to the 47-week of this year, the Kuching Division Health Office had managed to bring down the number of dengue cases by 23.47% and it was a good achievement compared to 217 cases last year.
There was no case of fatality,” said the Medical Health Officer of Kuching Division. He thanked DBKU, MBKS and MPP for their cooperation on dengue prevention to bring down the number of dengue cases. According to Kuching Division Deputy Resident, there will be aerobic exercise, speeches, briefing, gotong-royong exhibition and fogging. He also called on the local communities, industry players and premise owners to give their cooperation and join in the gotong-royong programme on that day.
