EPA asks public to do its part in battling dengue

The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday reminded the public that the most effective way to combat the outbreak of dengue fever is to eliminate the breeding sites for carriers of the virus by draining stagnant water.

The EPA issued the reminder in the midst of a nationwide cleanup effort that began on Saturday and will end on Monday. It aims to reduce the vulnerability of counties and cities by slowing the growth of mosquito populations that carry the virus.

On Saturday, EPA head Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) inspected hard-hit areas along the border between Kaohsiung City and Kaohsiung County.

Despite the cleanup, administration officials said yesterday the spread of dengue has not been stopped. The number of people infected now reportedly exceeds 800.

Hau asked officials to carry out more thorough inspections to ensure that landowners who fail to manage vacant lots are punished.

Officials of the EPA's Bureau of Toxic Substance Management (毒管處) said that the public should focus on drying out objects containing stagnant water. Pools of stagnant water provide breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which spread the dengue virus.

In addition, EPA officials said, spraying pesticides was an efficient ways to control the spread of the disease.

Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) yesterday confirmed that 425 county residents were infected by the virus. The number of cases, Yang said, was increasing by 10 a day.

Recent rainfall in southern Taiwan has made the situation worse as precipitation helps the mosquitoes reproduce.

Yang said the low level of awareness among some residents made the public more vulnerable to the disease, adding that a thorough cleanup was necessary.

"Our dengue fever prevention work, including the cleanup, will continue into November," Yang said.

Dengue may strike anyone bitten by an infected mosquito. The disease occurs mainly in tropical Asia and the Caribbean, and is usually worst during the rainy season.

In Kaohsiung City, 465 cases have been reported. Cases were also reported in other counties and cities, including Pingtung, Chiayi, Taoyuan, Taichung and Taipei.

Last month, health officials confirmed that the this year's outbreak of dengue hit a 14-year high and that the number of cases is still rising.

Government records show that Taiwan's worst outbreak of dengue fever was in 1988, when 4,389 cases were reported.

Yang, a member of the DPP, said that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), also the party's chairman, demanded a report about the spread of dengue fever at a central standing committee meeting on Tuesday.

Premier Yu Shyi-kun, who is visiting Central America, called Cabinet Secretary-General Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) on Tuesday to demand that the outbreak be managed appropriately.