Short Note -2
Legislation for Dengue Control in Malaysia∗ by
Tham Ah Seng# Senior Entomologist, Vector-Borne Disease Branch, Ministry of Health, Jalan Cenderasari, 0584 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
In Malaysia, there are three laws and legislation to cover the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases. These are: (a) Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act 1975 (Act 154)(1); (b) Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342)(2); and (c) Local Government Act 1976 (Act 171)(3). The Destruction of DiseaseBearing Insects Act (DDBIA) 1975 was enforced throughout the country with effect from 23 August 1982. The Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects (Amendment) Act 2000 came into operation throughout the country with effect from 1 January 2001.
Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988, which has provision for the closure of premises found harbouring disease-bearing insects, is used to supplement the DDBIA.
Achievement in law enforcement of DDBIA for dengue control During the 5-year period from 1996 to 2000, an average of 4,316,113 premises were inspected annually for Aedes breeding, of which an average of 33,959 premises were found to be breeding Aedes (Table 1). The Aedes Premise Index thus worked out to about 0.78%. An average of 13,435 warning notices and 22,660 compounds were issued annually to the offenders who harboured Aedes larvae in their premises. Of those who refused to pay the compounds, an average of 550 offenders were taken to court. For the same period, an average of 92 premises were closed or stop-work order issued to them.
Application The DDBIA is intended to provide for the destruction and control of disease-bearing insects. It also empowers the relevant authority to conduct medical examination and treatment of persons suffering from insect-borne diseases. For the prevention and control of dengue, most of the provisions vested under the DDBIA 1975 are strictly enforced. Section 18(d) of the
∗ This paper was presented at the WHO Health Forum organized by the Ministry of the Environment, Singapore, October 2001 # For correspondence: cyberseng@hotmail.com
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Table 1. Enforcement of Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act, 1975 (Amended 2000) in Malaysia No. of Year premises examined 1996 4,397,754 1997 4,239,489 1998 5,071,478 1999 3,915,499 2000 3,956,344 2001 (Jan- 1,828,648 Jun) No. of premises found breeding Aedes 41,612 42,902 36,203 27,961 21,117 13,808 No. of Aedes warning Premise notices Index (%) issued 0.9 1.0 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.8 17,972 19,878 11,233 9,490 8,601 4,039 No. of No. of Law No. of compounds court Enforcement premises issued cases Index (%) closed 18,408 28,834 30,696 20,154 15,209 9,861 517 989 298 436 506 249 88.7 115.8 116.6 107.6 115.1 102.5 0 256 115 73 16 27
Source: Vector-borne Disease Branch, Ministry of Health, Malaysia
Table 2 shows the achievement of law enforcement by states for the year 2000. A total of 3,956,344 premises were examined, out of which 21,117 (0.53%) premises were found to be positive for Aedes breeding. A total of 8,601 warning notices, 15,209 compounds, 506 court prosecutions and 16 stop-work or closure orders were issued. In 2000, court prosecutions were prominent in the urbanized states of Perak, Selangor, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan. The issuance of compounds was more pronounced in the states of Perak, Selangor and Johore where more than 2,000 compounds were issued for each of the states. The issue of warning notices was more active in the states of Kedah, Selangor, Terengganu and Sarawak where more than 1,000 notices were issued for each state. A total of 16 closure of
premises or stop-work orders were issued; 5 in Kedah, 9 in Selangor and 2 in Kelantan.
Impact of legislation on dengue control In the enforcement of the Disease-Bearing Insects Act 1975, the main focus is on finding Aedes mosquito larvae in and around premises during routine Aedes survey. Once the larvae are confirmed to be diseasebearing insects, the owner/occupier is issued a warning notice or a compound is offered. The owner/occupier is expected to abide by the instructions in the warning notice or settle the compound within the stipulated time, otherwise court prosecutions are proceeded. Therefore, legislation serves as a strong deterrent to mosquito breeding by careless and indifferent householders. The
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ultimate objective of imposing fines and enforcing the law is to get public support in dengue control activities and their participation in source-reduction measures.
Table 3 shows the relationship between the number of dengue cases reported, the number of compounds issued, and the fines collected during 1999 and 2000.
Table 2. Enforcement of Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act, 1975 (amended 2000) by states in Malaysia during 2000 No. of premises examined 23 173 336 050 324 927 715 302 517 010 51 913 151 337 189 788 454 418 208 559 202 699 281 578 257 172 242 412 3 956 338 No. of premises found breeding Aedes 179 991 730 3745 5700 1490 512 610 2637 881 513 719 915 1495 21 117 No. of warning notices issued 19 1393 11 799 1271 616 20 340 286 77 1780 274 687 1028 8 601 No. of compounds issued 160 819 643 2624 4041 510 459 254 2350 779 505 345 696 1024 15 209 No. of court cases 0 1 0 207 168 96 20 8 0 3 3 0 0 0 506 No of premises closed 0 5 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 16
State
Perlis Kedah P.Pinang Perak Selangor Wpkl N.Sembilan Melaka Kjohor Pahang Terengganu Kelantan Sabah Sarawak Total
Source: Vector-borne Disease Branch, Ministry of Health, Malaysia
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Table 3. Number of dengue cases, compounds, collection in fines under the DDBIA 1975 (amended 2000) for 1999 and 2000. 1999 State Perlis Kedah Penang Perak Selangor Fed. Terr. K. Lumpur N. Sembilan Malacca Johor Pahang Terengganu Kelantan Sabah Sarawak Total No. of No. of dengue cases compounds 46 892 585 1 047 1 956 1 329 427 229 957 782 433 444 344 675 10146 33 888 1 484 4 484 3 598 1 298 959 336 1550 1156 687 243 1205 2233 20154 Fines (RM) 1 410 38 349 1 66 450 4 20 521 3 37 990 76 120 1 05 520 21 020 1 42 000 1 09 410 66 630 24 279 65 090 59 890 1634679 No. of dengue cases 29 484 160 387 1 439 494 7 65 104 1 434 383 125 377 153 784 7 118 2000 No. of compounds 160 819 643 2 624 4 041 510 459 254 2 350 779 505 345 696 1 024 15 209 Fines (RM) 4 860 79 720 59 002 1 96 265 3 94 175 44 035 41 500 11 220 2 13 200 64 317 50 500 31 550 71 555 42 326 1 30 4225
Source: Vector-borne Disease Branch, Ministry of Health, Malaysia
It is very difficult to draw a good conclusion from the figures but judging from the reduction in dengue cases in 2000 (7,118 cases) as compared to 1999 (10,146 cases), enforcement via compounding does play a role. Although the number of compounds issued in 2000 (15,209) was less than that in 1999 (20,154), it shows that there were less breeding places detected (21,117) in 2000 as compared to 27,961 in 1999. The issuing of compounds has made a positive impact on the reduction of Aedes breeding premises.
References 1. Laws of Malaysia (1975). Destruction of DiseaseBearing Insects Act 1975 (Act 154). Government Printers, Kuala Lumpur. Laws of Malaysia (1988). Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342). Government Printers, Kuala Lumpur. Laws of Malaysia (1976). Local Government Act 1976 (Act 171). Government Printers, Kuala Lumpur.
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