Mohamad Zahri with volunteers from Uni-Charm, MBPJ and PKD Petaling. — LOW LAY PHON/The Star
PETALING Jaya City Council (MBPJ) launched a community cleanup effort in Taman Medan after recording a more than two-fold increase in dengue cases from 2021.
Petaling Jaya mayor Mohamad Zahri Samingon underscored the urgency of the gotong-royong at Flat Medan 32, which is one of the dengue hotspots in the city.
“In week 24 of 2024 (June 9 to 15), 134 cases were recorded, bringing the cumulative total to 3,838 cases this year.
“This is a slight improvement from the previous week, but the situation remains critical with 73 outbreak localities and 15 hotspots.
“We have seen dengue cases rise from 1,458 in 2021 to 5,641 in 2023, which is a 286% increase,” Mohammad Zahri said yesterday at the event.
The city council joined hands with Uni-Charm Malaysia to raise awareness among flats residents on the need to destroy mosquito larvae breeding grounds, which is a critical step to halting the spread of the deadly virus.
The initiative, part of Asean Dengue Day and Petaling Jaya’s 18th anniversary celebration, aims for a cleaner and safer environment for all.
“I hope other private companies will work with MBPJ to improve Petaling Jaya, not just in dengue prevention but in other efforts as well,” he said.
The cleanup, involving 57 Uni-Charm employees and 20 MBPJ and Petaling Health District Office (PKD Petaling) volunteers, focused on eliminating larvae breeding sites at the flats.
PKD Petaling also carried out fogging a day before the event.
Flat Medan 18 resident Jamiah Halim, who participated in the gotong-royong said, “The dengue issue has troubled us for a long time.
“I always participate in gotong-royong to help clean the surroundings in my area.
“Even if we keep our premises clean, mosquitoes from nearby residential areas can still spread the virus,” she said.
Taman Medan resident Vinoth Raj Kunasegaran described dengue as an on-and-off problem.
“Dengue cases spike especially when it rains,” he said.
“MBPJ is doing a great job but frequent inspections are helpful, especially with nearby ongoing construction contributing to the problem,” he noted.
Uni-Charm Corporation (Malaysia & Singapore) managing director Toru Fujita said, “We want to help contribute and make Petaling Jaya a clean and dengue-free city.
“The company has been organising such events since last year and will continue to do so in upcoming years,” he said, adding this was its first collaboration with MBPJ.
