KOTA KINABALU, Dec 23 — The plant dubbed the “worst weed of the century” has been detected in two new districts in Sabah, bringing to four the total locations here infested by the allergenic weed.

State Agriculture Department director Idrus Shafie said that they received confirmation of the parthenium hysterophorus weed, also known as rumpai miang Mexico, in the interior districts of Keningau in Kampung Bunsit, the St Benedict Binaong church and in Taman Lagud Seberang, Tenom.

“The new cases totalled about 0.11 acres and were discovered recently after being reported by local villagers,” said Idrus.

The department also received reports of the weed in Tuaran district, some 50km from here, and Sipitang, on Sabah’s west coast, but have yet to confirm whether it is the toxic weed.

Last week, a small patch of the weed was detected in Kampung Lasing, Ranau, at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu also.

According to Idrus, the department has taken measures to destroy the weed, either by manually pulling them out, or spraying them with a specific chemical.

“We urge the public to report it to us immediately if they see it growing. They must also be careful if they are planning to uproot the plant themselves. Protective hand gloves and a mask need to be worn,” he said.

Idrus said there has yet to be any reported cases of allergic reactions from the plant in the state and that the department was still looking into how the weed spread to Sabah.

The weed was initially discovered in Selangor last year, but has since spread to other states including Perak, Kedah and Negri Sembilan. 

It has asthma- and eczema-causing properties among humans and causes anorexia (eating disorder) among livestock, while its toxic pollen grains has also been shown to inhibit the growth of other crops.