ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Johor government will scrutinise the proposal for dengue vaccination as well as preparations to tackle the monsoon season at a special meeting on Thursday (Nov 7).
State Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said this is following a 36.1 per cent spike in dengue fever cases in the 43rd epidemiological week compared with the same period last year.
He said that to tackle the dengue menace, the state government would continue with programmes implemented earlier through an allocation of RM250,000.
“The initiatives to be implemented will focus on hotspots, including during the monsoon season, by carrying outdoor fogging as well as gotong-royong activities and continuous monitoring.
“At the same time also, (we) will pick a hotspot as a pilot project to combat dengue and, if it works, we will target other areas,” he told reporters at a media conference after the state-level 2024 National Environment Day celebration at Sireh Park here today.
Ling added that residents living in dengue hotspot areas are recommended to get vaccinated at private clinics or hospitals.
On the National Environment Day celebration, he described the programme as an early step towards achieving the target by 2030 for the state’s development to be in line with its environmental preservation.
He said various advocacy-based activities have been implemented, such as e-waste collection, recycling initiatives, tree planting, the release of fish seedlings and exposure to the ‘Jangan Bakor Ek’ expedition.
