We applaud the efforts taken by the Malayisan Government in implementing PKP / MCO
3.0 / FMCO, initially from 1 June to 14 June and then extended to 28 June 2021. We can
see that FMCO is helping to reduce the number of daily infections and help flatten the COVID-19 curve. We hope this activity along with the vaccination program and other
efforts will allow us all to move to a healthier position.
However we have a concern. Under FMCO, companies that perform water treatment for
ponds, water features and swimming pools have had their applications to operate either
rejected or not processed. Either way, the companies are not allowed to operate. For the first two weeks of FMCO, not performing water treatment was not so noticeable. Mostly what was seen was algae starting to grow. However what has happened in parallel is that as the chemicals used for treating the water (chlorine) dissolved, it allowed mosquitoes to start laying their eggs.
The Aedes mosquito (Aedes aegypti) which spreads dengue has a life cycle, from an egg
to an adult, of approximately 8-10 days. Without the chemical treatment of the water, now there may be thousands of pools, water features and fountains across Malaysia that are potentially capable of producing dengue mosquitoes.
As we enter the second period of FMCO, there will be more mosquitoes around. In
addition, with the majority of residents now staying at home, their exposure has
increased.
From our understanding, property holders have a requirement placed on them under Act 154 DESTRUCTION OF DISEASE BEARING INSECTS ACT 1975 to take every reasonable measure to ensure that they prevent Aedes mosquitoes from breeding, and can be issued a
compound if they do not. As such it has been the writers understanding that service providers are providing an essential service to help property holders meet their statutory
requirements.
Many property holders are not equipped to perform the servicing and water treatment
activities themselves. They do not have the chemical available, the expertise in chemical
handling, sufficient knowledge in the systems in use and resources (manpower) available,
adding to the dilemma. Therefore, the risks posed by mosquitoes breeding increases.
The people most at risk of getting dengue at the end of FMCO will be the ones who could
have helped reduce the threat in the first place – the service workers. One can only wonder
what will happen if FMCO is extended for a third two week period. It would be distressing to see all the great efforts in reducing the threat of COVID being undone by a different form of public health issue during this pandemic.
By Bruce Hope