Short Note -2

Legislation for Dengue Control in Malaysia∗

by
Tham Ah Seng#
Senior Entomologist, Vector-Borne Disease Branch, Ministry of Health, Jalan Cenderasari,
0584 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

In Malaysia, there are three laws and
legislation to cover the prevention and
control of vector-borne diseases. These are:
(a) Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects
Act 1975 (Act 154)(1); (b) Prevention and
Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act
342)(2); and (c) Local Government Act 1976
(Act 171)(3). The Destruction of Disease-
Bearing Insects Act (DDBIA) 1975 was
enforced throughout the country with effect
from 23 August 1982. The Destruction of
Disease-Bearing Insects (Amendment) Act
2000 came into operation throughout the
country with effect from 1 January 2001.
Application
The DDBIA is intended to provide for the
destruction and control of disease-bearing
insects. It also empowers the relevant
authority to conduct medical examination
and treatment of persons suffering from
insect-borne diseases. For the prevention
and control of dengue, most of the
provisions vested under the DDBIA 1975 are
strictly enforced. Section 18(d) of the
Prevention and Control of Infectious
Diseases Act 1988, which has provision for
the closure of premises found harbouring
disease-bearing insects, is used to
supplement the DDBIA.
Achievement in law enforcement of
DDBIA for dengue control
During the 5-year period from 1996 to
2000, an average of 4,316,113 premises
were inspected annually for Aedes breeding,
of which an average of 33,959 premises
were found to be breeding Aedes (Table 1).
The Aedes Premise Index thus worked out to
about 0.78%.
An average of 13,435 warning notices
and 22,660 compounds were issued
annually to the offenders who harboured
Aedes larvae in their premises. Of those who
refused to pay the compounds, an average
of 550 offenders were taken to court. For
the same period, an average of 92 premises
were closed or stop-work order issued to
them.

∗ This paper was presented at the WHO Health Forum organized by the Ministry of the Environment, Singapore, October 2001
#
For correspondence: cyberseng@hotmail.com

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Legislation for Dengue Control in Malaysia

Table 1. Enforcement of Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act, 1975

(Amended 2000) in Malaysia
No. of
No. of
No. of premises Aedes No. of No. of Law No. of
warning
Year premises found Premise compounds court Enforcement premises
notices
examined breeding Index (%) issued cases Index (%) closed
issued
Aedes
1996 4,397,754 41,612 0.9 17,972 18,408 517 88.7 0
1997 4,239,489 42,902 1.0 19,878 28,834 989 115.8 256
1998 5,071,478 36,203 0.7 11,233 30,696 298 116.6 115
1999 3,915,499 27,961 0.7 9,490 20,154 436 107.6 73
2000 3,956,344 21,117 0.5 8,601 15,209 506 115.1 16
2001
(Jan- 1,828,648 13,808 0.8 4,039 9,861 249 102.5 27
Jun)
Source: Vector-borne Disease Branch, Ministry of Health, Malaysia

Table 2 shows the achievement of law
enforcement by states for the year 2000. A
total of 3,956,344 premises were examined,
out of which 21,117 (0.53%) premises were
found to be positive for Aedes breeding. A
total of 8,601 warning notices, 15,209
compounds, 506 court prosecutions and 16
stop-work or closure orders were issued. In
2000, court prosecutions were prominent in
the urbanized states of Perak, Selangor,
Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and
Negeri Sembilan. The issuance of
compounds was more pronounced in the
states of Perak, Selangor and Johore where
more than 2,000 compounds were issued
for each of the states. The issue of warning
notices was more active in the states of
Kedah, Selangor, Terengganu and Sarawak
where more than 1,000 notices were issued
for each state. A total of 16 closure of
premises or stop-work orders were issued; 5
in Kedah, 9 in Selangor and 2 in Kelantan.
Impact of legislation on dengue
control
In the enforcement of the Disease-Bearing
Insects Act 1975, the main focus is on
finding Aedes mosquito larvae in and around
premises during routine Aedes survey. Once
the larvae are confirmed to be disease-
bearing insects, the owner/occupier is issued
a warning notice or a compound is offered.
The owner/occupier is expected to abide by
the instructions in the warning notice or
settle the compound within the stipulated
time, otherwise court prosecutions are
proceeded. Therefore, legislation serves as a
strong deterrent to mosquito breeding by
careless and indifferent householders. The

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 Legislation for Dengue Control in Malaysia

ultimate objective of imposing fines and Table 3 shows the relationship between
enforcing the law is to get public support in the number of dengue cases reported, the
dengue control activities and their number of compounds issued, and the fines
participation in source-reduction measures. collected during 1999 and 2000.

Table 2. Enforcement of Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act, 1975

(amended 2000) by states in Malaysia during 2000

No. of
No. of No. of No. of No. of No of
warning
State premises premises found compounds court premises
notices
examined breeding Aedes issued cases closed
issued

Perlis 23 173 179 19 160 0 0

Kedah 336 050 991 1393 819 1 5

P.Pinang 324 927 730 11 643 0 0

Perak 715 302 3745 799 2624 207 0

Selangor 517 010 5700 1271 4041 168 9

Wpkl 51 913 1490 616 510 96 0

N.Sembilan 151 337 512 20 459 20 0

Melaka 189 788 610 340 254 8 0

Kjohor 454 418 2637 286 2350 0 0

Pahang 208 559 881 77 779 3 0

Terengganu 202 699 513 1780 505 3 0

Kelantan 281 578 719 274 345 0 2

Sabah 257 172 915 687 696 0 0

Sarawak 242 412 1495 1028 1024 0 0

Total 3 956 21 117 8 601 15 209 506 16

338

Source: Vector-borne Disease Branch, Ministry of Health, Malaysia

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Legislation for Dengue Control in Malaysia

Table 3. Number of dengue cases, compounds, collection in fines

under the DDBIA 1975 (amended 2000) for 1999 and 2000.
1999 2000

State No. of
No. of No. of No. of
Fines (RM) dengue Fines (RM)
dengue cases compounds compounds
cases
Perlis 46 33 1 410 29 160 4 860
Kedah 892 888 38 349 484 819 79 720
Penang 585 1 484 1 66 450 160 643 59 002
Perak 1 047 4 484 4 20 521 387 2 624 1 96 265
Selangor 1 956 3 598 3 37 990 1 439 4 041 3 94 175
Fed. Terr. K. 1 329 1 298 76 120 494 510 44 035
Lumpur
N. Sembilan 427 959 1 05 520 7 65 459 41 500
Malacca 229 336 21 020 104 254 11 220
Johor 957 1550 1 42 000 1 434 2 350 2 13 200
Pahang 782 1156 1 09 410 383 779 64 317
Terengganu 433 687 66 630 125 505 50 500
Kelantan 444 243 24 279 377 345 31 550
Sabah 344 1205 65 090 153 696 71 555
Sarawak 675 2233 59 890 784 1 024 42 326
Total 10146 20154 1634679 7 118 15 209 1 30 4225
Source: Vector-borne Disease Branch, Ministry of Health, Malaysia

It is very difficult to draw a good References

conclusion from the figures but judging from
the reduction in dengue cases in 2000
(7,118 cases) as compared to 1999 (10,146
cases), enforcement via compounding does
play a role. Although the number of
compounds issued in 2000 (15,209) was less
than that in 1999 (20,154), it shows that
there were less breeding places detected
(21,117) in 2000 as compared to 27,961 in
1999. The issuing of compounds has made a
positive impact on the reduction of Aedes
breeding premises.
1. Laws of Malaysia (1975). Destruction of Disease-
Bearing Insects Act 1975 (Act 154). Government
Printers, Kuala Lumpur.
2. Laws of Malaysia (1988). Prevention and Control
of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342).
Government Printers, Kuala Lumpur.
3. Laws of Malaysia (1976). Local Government Act
1976 (Act 171). Government Printers, Kuala
Lumpur.

112 Dengue Bulletin – Vol 25, 2001