TEMBURONG

RESIDENTS must keep their surroundings clean and destroy the breeding grounds of mosquitoes to avoid mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue, an officer from the Ministry of Health (MoH) said yesterday.

During the National Family Day celebration in the Temburong District yesterday, a health officer, who requested anonymity told The Brunei Times that the public must participate to ensure the country becomes a disease-free or healthy nation.

“There is no vaccine for these diseases (malaria and dengue), which is why we (MoH) aim to raise the awareness to make sure people are safe,” the officer said.

According to the health officer, the Sultanate was not spared by mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue, but the ministry took action by educating the public to prevent the spread of the disease.

“We have to make sure that the breeding grounds of mosquitoes are destroyed to avoid those diseases,” he said.

“If the people won’t listen or don’t take action, the mosquitoes will lay [more] eggs, which would be dangerous,” he said.

Female mosquitoes can reportedly lay up to 300 eggs at one time.

“This may be a small matter, but it could lead to something big, which is why we need people to take action early to prevent the spread (of mosquito-borne diseases),” the health officer said.

Hj Khalidin Hj Abas, a local father, said in an interview that after he talked with health officers, he was convinced to be more cautious to prevent his family from being affected by the mosquito-borne diseases.

“Mosquitoes are more than just making us feel itchy, which is why I will now take action to keep my area clean for my family’s safety,” he said.

Hj Khalidin noted that the public must be aware to ensure that “malaria cases do not return back to the Sultanate”.

“Yes we are safe now, but we must make sure that it doesn’t come back to affect others,” he said.

Ena Mohammad, a mother of a two-year-old boy, said that she has been aware of mosquito-borne diseases because of her husband, who is a health officer.

She explained that she and her husband have taken action by ensuring their house and surrounding residential areas are clean.

This will help prevent the mosquitoes from breeding, she said.

She highlighted that public awareness could help people in the Sultanate avoid these diseases.

The Brunei Times