With the dengue epidemic entering its 40th week and exacting a record toll of 76 fatalities, the health ministry's disease control division has run into a major obstacle in the form of unappreciative Malaysians.

Division head Dr Ramlee Rahmat said his officers have often been demoralised by doors being slammed and windows being shut when health teams are in residential areas to carry out clean-up and fogging activities.

"We announce to people that we are about to commence fogging and that they should leave their windows and doors open to allow the insecticide to penetrate into the homes," he said when contacted.

"Despite that, we've found many residents quickly shut their windows and doors. When they slam them shut like that, it's as if they have slapped us in the face."

"All we're asking is for people to co-operate and to heighten their sense of commitment to, and involvement in, public health issues. However, when we approach people, it's as if we're asking for charity."

Perceived inconvenience

Ramlee explained that the various insecticides used to kill adult Aedes mosquitos as well as their larvae are not hazardous to human health even when the spray drifts into homes.

Ignorance of this fact may, to some extent, be the reason for the lack of co-operation. However, in most cases, health officers have to deal with the perceived inconvenience of complying with their requests, he said.

"Many people know what they're supposed to do. I have the feeling that they just don't want to deal with the insecticide getting into their homes, the smell or residue on their furniture, and so on," he said.

This attitude has been seen in the division's public awareness and education efforts in other matters which often received lukewarm response.

"Whenever we set up exhibits or give talks to the public on comparatively 'mundane things' like health, very few people take part to be informed. But when it bites, the Aedes mosquitos does not discriminate between people who are informed and those who are not," he added.

"What has often happened is that the very people who take pains to be informed are sometimes those who get infected, because mosquitos that bite them come from the houses of those people who are not (informed)."

Selangor and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur have, to date, registered the highest incidence of dengue cases, especially in Kajang, Setapak and Cheras.

Malaysia recorded an all-time high of 102 deaths from dengue in 2004, but figures released on Tuesday showed that this level may well be matched or even superseded this year.