Sandakan folk’s water storage habit fuels dengue surge

SANDAKAN – Sandakan folk’s habit of storing water due to frequent water supply disruptions has caused the district to top the chart with the highest number of dengue cases in Sabah.

Sandakan district health officer Dr Johari Awang Besar said the habit of storing water creates potential breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes and is one of the factors contributing to the increase in dengue cases here.  

He said other than the water disruption problem, there are also a number of squatter villages without water supply, causing villagers to leave open containers outdoors to collect rainwater, creating ideal breeding spots for mosquitoes.  

From January 1 to June 10 this year, Sandakan remained number one for the highest number of dengue cases (1,131 cases) and recorded three deaths from dengue, also the highest in the state.  

Johari said that a serious lack of awareness is also one of the factors contributing to these statistics.   

Based on a survey last year, two out of three people in Sandakan think that insecticides and fogging are detrimental to their health, thus disallowing fogging and the use of Abate, as well as larvicide activities around their house.  

He said half or 50% of the people in Sandakan opine that fogging is enough to prevent dengue, and only 25% think of the possibility of dengue when they are experiencing fever.  

“Only three out of five people in Sandakan would get early medical treatment if they experienced dengue symptoms, while most people would get late medical attention (after three days),” he told The Vibes.  

Johari said Sandakan also has a higher number of undocumented migrants living in squatter settlements who avoid going to the hospitals, resulting in cases of late treatment.  

He said there is a serious lack of cooperation and involvement from the locals because they believe that the Health Department and the Sandakan Municipal Council alone are responsible for controlling dengue.  

To prevent mosquitoes from entering buckets or containers used for water storage, Johari urged the populace to seal the opening. 

He reiterated that the people of Sandakan should be serious about dengue, and they must cooperate with the health office by letting health personnel enter their houses for fogging activities.  

He also urged the people not to take fever symptoms lightly.   

“Please go to a health facility immediately if you experience symptoms such as prolonged fever, sore joints and bones, rashes, vomiting or diarrhoea, pain behind the eyes, and bleeding from the mouth or nose.   

“Delayed detection could be detrimental to your organs, or worse, it could be fatal,” he said. – The Vibes, June 17, 2023