GEORGE TOWN: More than 600 cases of dengue fever were reported nationwide in the first six months of this year, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.
He said the ministry would step up the enforcement of regulations and carry out more frequent inspections in housing areas to curb the outbreak.
"Most people are aware of the source of dengue but not many take the initiative to destroy the breeding grounds of aedes mosquitoes.
As such, we will monitor the housing areas and tell residents to clean up, failing which we will take action.
"Apart from the campaign, we feel that with enforcement, the people will take the dengue menace more seriously," he told reporters after opening the Penang Free School Carnival in Jalan Masjid Negeri, here, Sunday.
He said the areas which recorded the highest number of cases were Johor Baharu, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
In another development, he said the Health Ministry would study the legal approaches towards banning the sales of shisha and other alternative cigarettes.
He said the ministry had studied the harmful effects of taking such substances including e-cigarette, on health.
Recently, the Perlis Fatwa Committee declared selling and smoking shisha as haram as it is even more detrimental to health than cigarettes.
Consumers Association of Penang president SM Mohamed Idris in a statement recently urged the government to ban the use of shisha nationwide following the mushrooming of such premises providing the substance.
- Bernama
