Beware of Dengue And Pigs, Selangor People.

Selangor recorded a rise in dengue cases this month at several of its urban locations. Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo said the increase was a concern as some areas registered a two-fold rise compared to the first week of June. "I was told that the Subang Jaya Municipal Council area recorded 27 cases in the first week of the month, but the number jumped to 50 cases in the second week. The fact that this occurred in a town area is a cause of concern," he said at a press conference after chairing the state executive council meeting, here Wednesday.

He also said dengue cases at the Shah Alam City Council area rose from 34 cases in the first week of June to 48 cases in the second week of the month. Without elaborating the overall case figures in Selangor, Dr Mohamad Khir said there had been seven deaths so far this year due to dengue fever.

Meanwhile commenting on pig farming issue in Selangor, he said the state government wanted to reduce the total number of the livestock to cater for the state's domestic need only. "We will lower the number from 300,000 to 100,000 pigs a year. This is because too high a number will raise a lot of issues particularly its impact to the environment," he added. He said the state government was considering to establish a centralised pig breeding area. However, finding such a site remained a challenge as most district administrators rejected the proposal. On the pig farmers near Sungai Semenyih who were told to close operations, Dr Mohamad Khir said: "We have issued the notice of closure and have given the farmers the ultimatum to do so. "If the farmers failed to do so before August this year, the authority has the power to confiscate their land title as provided by the National Land Code 1965.