GEORGE TOWN, March 12 — Seven construction sites were ordered to close for 14 days after the sites were found to be breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes.

State Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Rural Development and Health Committee chairman, Dr Afif Bahardin, said developers or contractors must show evidence that cleaning works had been carried out before such sites are given permission to re-open.

He said the premises comprised three in the Southwest district, two in Seberang Perai Tengah and one each in Seberang Perai Utara and northeast.

“When more than three mosquito breeding grounds are found, sites will be ordered closed with a maximum compound of RM500 for every offence,” he told reporters when met at an Aedes eradication operation in Tanjung Tokong here today.

He said 109 of the 237 construction sites have been inspected as at March 7 across the state with a frequency of almost every day and during that period the State Health Department had issued 13 compounds.

Dr Afif also called on the construction companies to appoint a disease and security control special team to submit reports on their monthly activities to the local authorities to facilitate monitoring.

Meanwhile, he said dengue cases in the state increased by 201.23 per cent with 1,115 cases reported since January compared to 408 cases for the same period last year.

He said there were 15 controlled localities identified, namely six in the southwest district, the northeast district (five), Seberang Perai Tengah

(three), and one in Seberang Perai Utara.

“There was one hotspot in Jalan Batas Ban, Seberang Perai Selatan where 17 cases were reported in a week (March 1 to 7) and one uncontrolled locality in Perkampungan Valdor at the same district with 28 cases recorded for that period,” he said. — Bernama