KUALA LUMPUR: Sterner initiatives are needed to consolidate dengue prevention and control measures.
By doing so, this will create a better and healthy country for the next generation, opined an expert in the subject.
Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (MSPTM) president Dr Chen Chee Dhang called for greater collaboration, with the objective of promoting and spreading dengue awareness among the community.
"Community empowerment is a key aspect of the strategy, as it allows the local population to drive the eradication of the disease in their environment.
"We can follow up with this agenda, especially by involving and educating the younger generation so that they are better able to share the information and knowledge to fight the menace of dengue," Dr Chen said in conjunction with the 'Dengue Awareness Virtual Exhibition' to celebrate 'Asean Dengue Day 2022'.
The exhibition is a collaborative project between the MSPTM and Universiti Teknologi Mara's (UiTM) College of Creative Arts.
"Social responsibility is a conventional approach to empowering students towards becoming caring members of their community.
"It also presents a meaningful and virtuous way of engaging with the world, while at the same time gaining a deeper understanding of the mosquito-borne disease, broader appreciation of the discipline, enhanced sense of personal values and civic responsibility," Dr Chen said.
On the exhibition, Dr Chen said it was an excellent platform for students and our fellow citizens to explore social responsibility through an awareness campaign.
"This important annual event allows Asean members, in coordination with the World Health Organisation, to consolidate dengue prevention and control measures.
"It all started with a 'Dengue Awareness Drawing Competition' in the Klang Valley, before the project spread its wings to Sabah and Perak.
"Our young and talented artists in primary and secondary schools have showcased their skill, effort, and dedication through visuals in projecting the objective," said Dr Chen, who was the competition's organising chairman for the past three consecutive years.
He added that the project was aimed to rally the community to stop dengue with urgency and to keep preventing a surge in dengue cases in the coming months.
"Almost 1,200 artworks were received in the competition conducted in the Klang Valley, Sabah and Perak from 2019 to 2021.
"Only the winner's artworks were selected and displayed in the exhibition," he said.
Meanwhile, UiTM senior lecturer Dr Hazlin Anita Zainal Abidin, who designed the exhibition virtually said the rise of Covid-19 had forced cultural institutions to explore alternative digital spaces with virtual exhibitions.
"Later, even though we step into the endemic phase, this virtual exhibition will still be relevant and create a socially engaged space in our communities.
"The justification behind it is that a virtual platform offers a bridge, as well as an exciting range of experiences for its virtual audiences, both local and international.
"A virtual exhibition is just one of the modern tools that we have at our disposal.
"It reduces costs, but more importantly our message is disseminated far and wide," she said.
