PREVENTION OF AEDES BREEDING HABITATS FOR URBAN HIGH-RISE BUILDING IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

Dengue is endemic in Malaysia; it is found mainly in the urban and suburban areas. Aedes Aegypti and Aedes Albopictus have been incriminated in the transmission of dengue virus in many urban areas of South-East Asia, including Malaysia. Dengue cases that have been reported worldwide were related with high rise buildings especially in residential buildings such as apartments and condominiums. This study aims to identify the breeding habitats resulted from building designs in high-rise apartments in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Inspections were conducted at three dengue-hotspots residential buildings located in Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur. The selection criteria of the study sites were based on the most frequent reports on dengue cases from these three localities. The building elements that Aedes breeding were spotted created semi-permanent areas for Aedes breeding. Findings show the buildings were designed with unreachable rain gutters, making checking and cleaning for mosquito breeding in clogged gutters impossible for local residents. Poor drainage and piping system has found to be the Aedes habitats, too. Of these, surprisingly, uneven surface of the concrete rooftops and floors has also become one of the breeding spots, resulting to water stagnation and liveable areas for Aedes to breed. Correlating this findings not only helps target areas to be identified and focused in community search and destroy programs, but most importantly it contributes to high-rise building design and construction features in Malaysia by taking into considerations long-lasting measures for a holistic sustainable environment.