JEDDAH: As many as 691 dengue fever cases were reported so far this year in Jeddah alone despite concerted efforts by the government to contain the disease, Al-Madinah newspaper said in a report published yesterday.
Dr. Hussein Al-Bar, head of the Environment and Health Committee at the Municipal Council, said from January until May, 691 dengue fever cases were reported in different parts of the city.
“At this rate we expect the cases to reach 950 this year,” Al-Bar said, emphasizing the need to take intensive measures by municipal and health authorities to contain the disease. He added that 30 new cases were reported in Thuwal.
Al-Bar warned the public against laxity in taking precautions. He said sewage lakes in streets breed mosquitoes that spread the disease.
Overflowing septic tanks are common in many residential districts of south Jeddah. Residents of the area have complained about the worsening situation and called for quick intervention by the authorities. “The field teams of the Jeddah municipality are not doing what is required to correct the situation,” one citizen said, while calling for immediate action.
Ahmed Qayed, a resident of Ghulail, said the district has been suffering from overflowing septic tanks for long. “Many people have contacted the municipality’s operation room to remove sewage from streets but they have failed to take any action,” he said.
Fadi Al-Ahmed said many people in his neighborhood have been affected and are receiving treatment in hospitals.
Muhammad Al-Yami, public relations manager at the municipality, said his organization has launched a systematic campaign against dengue fever. “We are focusing on exterminating mosquitoes from residential areas by spraying insecticides,” he said.
Al-Yami said the municipality has published pamphlets in five languages to enlighten the public, including expatriates.
The largest number of 1,308 dengue fever cases was reported in 2006, the paper said. The number of cases then fell to 243 in 2007 but went up again to 811 in 2008. An average of 200 cases are now reported a month in Jeddah. During the last two months 80 new cases were reported in the holy city of Makkah.
