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BASF, the world’s leading chemical company signed an MoA with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) today in an effort to combat dengue in Malaysia through the “Defeat Dengue with BASF” programme.
The MoA signed between Professor Dato’ Dr Imran Ho Abdullah, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Goh Eng Leong, Managing Director of BASF (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd was witnessed by representatives from local councils and government agencies. The two organisations will commit to a common cause to drive public awareness and encourage positive actions to curb dengue. Leveraging their respective expertise, BASF and UKM will jointly produce public educational materials on best practices including the proper use of larvicide to eliminate breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes. A road show to dengue hotspots around Selangor will be organised to share effective dengue preventive measures among the public. According to national statistics, ongoing efforts to combat dengue have led to a gradual reduction. However, in 2018, the Ministry of Health reported a total of 80,615 dengue cases with 147 deaths. Within the first three weeks of January 2019, dengue cases increased to more than 3,000 with 16 deaths recorded. "UKM is pleased to collaborate with BASF to support national efforts to tackle dengue. We believe that the programme will result in positive outcomes as we broaden our reach to more dengue hotspots and interface directly with the public to drive home the important message of jointly combating dengue. It is our hope to also engage with other stakeholders including local councils and government agencies to jointly tackle this health issue,” said Professor Dato’ Dr Imran. Meanwhile, Goh remarked that BASF is pleased to partner with UKM to prevent mosquito breeding grounds and reduce dengue in Malaysia. Prior to the official MoA signing, a series of pilot projects around Selangor were conducted by UKM’s Biomedicine students. The first took place at Presint 9, Putrajaya, followed by Apartment Damansara Damai, Kepong and Apartment Fasa 6 Bandar Tasik Kesuma, Semenyih. The positive impact from these initiatives resulted in the "Defeat Dengue with BASF" programme. The first road show will take place in April, with the collaboration of Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), while two more road shows will be conducted in the second half of the year. The main highlight at the roadshows will be an “Explorace” where participants will work in teams to compete in eliminating as many Aedes mosquito breeding grounds as possible. This will be complemented by knowledge sharing and video presentations to drive greater understanding on measures to curb dengue outbreaks. |
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