Authorities in Jeddah have moved to assure residents that they have dengue fever under control. Many residents of the city have voiced their concern at what they perceive to be a failure on the part of the authorities to tackle the disease, with figures oscillating from year to year, despite the huge funding made available. Khalid Bin Fadh Aqeel, Deputy Mayor of Jeddah, has said that the situation is under control, citing official figures from the General Administration of Health Affairs in Makkah Province. “In 2004 there were 290 cases recorded, and 325 in 2005,” Aqeel said. “The number jumped to 1,308 cases in 2006, and in 2007 went down again to 243, while in 2008, 811 cases were found. And since the beginning of 2009 only 74 cases have been registered.” Aqeel, speaking at a workshop on infectious diseases, said the municipality was using a variety of methods to combat dengue fever and malaria, including the daily monitoring and inspection of insects, drying of the swamps, and using the Global Positioning System to monitor insect movement. “We also make use of the information systems known as GIS to deal with the problem of stagnant water,” he said. “The municipality has distributed curtains treated with pesticide,” Aqeel continued, “to prevent mosquitoes entering houses.” Ahmad Nabil Abu Khotwah, consultant to the mayor, said the strategy was directed at both the short and long term, with its ultimate aim being to reduce the number of mosquitoes. Two years ago over SR40 million were allocated to address the problem of dengue fever, but officials have been accused of corruption, prompting the General Control and Investigation Commission to open an investigation into how the money has been spent. Jeddah Mayor Adel Faqih recently issued a statement assuring the public that all efforts were being made to eradicate the disease. The problem of dengue fever has not just been confined to Jeddah, however, with at least 40 new cases reported in Makkah in recent months, with a notable surge of 20 in the first two weeks of February. Adel Al-Sheikh of Jizan Health Affairs also spoke at the workshop, addressing the problems in Jizan controlling the anopheles mosquito which carries malaria. He said there were many programs in progress and that the number of mosquitoes this year had fallen compared to previous years. Al-Sheikh said medical protection from the disease was being distributed free of charge.
