SUBANG JAYA, 7 June: The Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) is intensifying efforts to control and prevent the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes in areas under their jurisdiction to ensure that the dengue epidemic does not continue to spread.
In a statement, the MPSJ Department of Corporate Relations and Communication said that the innovation which was developed by the local authority since 2011 is by using Toxorhynchites mosquitoes as an alternative to reduce the population of Aedes mosquitoes.
According to the statement, the programme was first carried out at Kampung Seri Aman and was expanded to a new area; the Sri Tanjung Apartments at USJ 16.
She said that the first release of Toxo mosquitoes in the area was carried out on 27 September 2013.
“The programme to control the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes and the prevention of dengue by using Toxo mosquitoes first started on 29 October 2011 at Kampung Seri Aman.
“The findings in the area saw a decrease in dengue cases in the area studies and no dengue cases have been reported since August 2012 to July 2013.
“Because the study at Kampung Seri Aman showed positive results, MPSJ has decided to expand the programme to other areas,” she said.
The statement also informed that the Sri Tanjung Apartment was selected as one of the study sites following the number of cases and dengue outbreak in the area; eight cases until last May.
She said that the increase of dengue in the area also has to do with the level of cleanliness of the environment, which is not good due to the high population density.
“The results of the study conducted at the apartment since June 2013 found that the population of Aedes mosquitoes in the area is quite high; between 500 to 700 larvae every month,” she said.
The Toxo mosquito larvae, also known as the elephant mosquito, consumes the Aedes mosquito larvae, thus reducing the breeding of the dengue carrier.
Apart from the breeding of Toxo mosquitoes, several other approaches have been taken, among them fogging activities, killing mosquito larvae, inspection of Aedes breeding, enforcement and health education through the distribution of brochures.
NS
