I refer to LC Lee's letter Dengue-control measures in Subang Jaya pathetic and would like to say it's not just Subang Jaya!

I would agree that there is a degree of blame to attach to the authorities, but in the words of the old saying, 'The lord helps those who help themselves'. I am appalled at the lack of effort by the population.

Having survived dengue which I contracted in Indonesia some years ago, I am aware of the seriousness of the disease. Mosquito screens are cheap, wood is cheap and staple guns are not expensive. The constructed frames can be attached to doors or windows either with hot glue or a few screws.

I personally have made mosquito screens for all the windows and doors on the premises I rent. I have an effective mosquito lamp on a cheap timer which comes on at dusk for a few hours, and again before dawn. I wash the outside of my small compound and add a little detergent to the water - this drains into the storm drain. The effect of the detergent on the stagnant water in the storm drain is that it reduces the surface tension which in turn causes mosquito larva to sink and drown.

If a small percentage of the population helped themselves in such a fashion, rather than blaming the authorities, there could be a real reduction in the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

Fumigation is hardly worth the effort (I wonder if anyone else has noticed this). A month or so back, our area was fumigated by a company called Allied Pest Control Services. They arrived unannounced and demanded money from each household. For the next three days after the fumigation, our street was infested with mosquitos - I checked with my neighbours and they all confirmed that the number of mosquito bites had increased hugely.