PUTRAJAYA: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has announced that 10 new localities have been proposed for the release of Wolbachia-infected Aedes mosquitoes in an effort to combat the dengue issue in the country. The proposal was put forward at Monday’s (Jan 15) meeting of the Cabinet Committee to Combat Dengue, and it is estimated to cost RM4 million annually.
Starting in 2019, the release of mosquitoes has already been implemented in 32 localities across seven states, with 19 localities showing notable effectiveness. “Assessment on effectiveness shows that dengue cases had decreased by 45% to 100%, compared with before the release (of the Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes),” he said, citing a statement read out by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zulkefly Ahmad after the committee meeting.
Ahmad Zahid mentioned that detailed discussions about the localities for mosquito release are being carried out with various parties, particularly with the state governments. “We are in discussions with the state (governments) because we want to (implement) it, especially in Selangor. We will discuss it more precisely because in the end it will involve the community,” he said.
He also added that the Cabinet Committee proposed the involvement of local authorities in the initiative. Scheduled cooperative activities at the premises of ministries, departments and agencies are being made a regular agenda item in the development action committee at the district and state levels. Large-scale campaigns and gotong-royong, involving government agencies, non-governmental organisations, local leaders and the community, will be implemented this year. Additionally, the government plans to increase resource capacity through collaboration with government agencies, non-governmental organisations and government-linked companies, including the establishment of a task force to deal with the issue.
Furthermore, a Cabinet Memorandum on measures to combat dengue is set to be tabled in two weeks, according to Ahmad Zahid. Regarding dengue cases in the country, he stated that a total of 123,133 cases were reported last year, a significant increase of 86.3% from the 66,102 cases reported in 2022. The number of deaths due to complications from dengue fever was 100 cases last year, compared with 56 deaths for the same period in 2022. – Bernama
