Kota Kinabalu: Kota Kinabalu Health Office Epidemiology Officer Dr Sahrol Nizam Abu Bakar said dengue and tuberculosis may be among health issues in Pulau Gaya. However, it's an issue which is still under control.
He said dengue cases showed an increase so far this year, followed by tuberculosis and cholera but did not provide any statistics.
He said this when met during the Pulau Gaya Health Programme closing ceremony held at the Segama Waterfront, here, Saturday.
He said during the week-long programme which involved four villages, namely Kg Pulau Gaya Proper, Kg Lok Kurai, Kg Kesuapan and Kg Pondo, a total of 347 chest x-rays were done to screen for tuberculosis.
Of the figure, nine per cent were found to show abnormal readings and samples were sent for another test to check if it really was tuberculosis.
"We are still waiting for the results," he said.
He said in addition to health screenings, they also conducted inspections around the villages concerned to check for any aedes larvae.
"We also taught villagers the use of medicines to kill such larvae, as well as provide them with information on the importance of keeping their premises and surroundings free from dengue," he said.
On another note, he said they picked Pulau Gaya to conduct the inaugural programme because dengue cases showed an increase this year compared to previous years.
"We hope villagers on the island will get the message," he said.
The programme which ended on Oct 6 was jointly organised by the Kota Kinabalu Health Office, City Hall, Tanjung Aru constituency, police, marine police and Universiti Malaysia Sabah. - Sherell Jeffrey
