Story by Victor Seow
Pix by Shum Jian Wei
THE state government views the dengue menace seriously and has raised the stakes in combating it by adopting various measures.
One of them is the COMBI approach pioneered by the COMBI committee of Kampung Titi Teras in Balik Pulau.
COMBI stands for “Communication for Behavioural Impact” and was specially introduced by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2001 as a strategic measure against dengue.
At a press conference on Oct 1 chaired by state exco member for Agriculture &Agro-Based Industry, Rural Development and Health Dr. Afif Bahardin, details of the COMBI approach that included its grading system, implementation and participation were disclosed to members of the media.
“This COMBI approach which we are now adopting serves to move the various community sectors as a whole to combat dengue. It inculcates a sense of communal responsibility and it helps to affect the attitudes, behaviour and social norms in a community against a common threat. As of August 2015, there were altogether 120 COMBI committees throughout Penang,” Dr. Afif said.
According to the COMBI grading system and methods of its implementation, volunteers in Kampung Titi Teras would make periodical visits to various homes each week and grade them from A to E which commensurate with the level of cleanliness inside the house and its surroundings.
These grades will then be analysed to determine the status of the monthly dengue cases in that particular village.
“The efficacy of this approach depends very much on peer pressure between neighbours as a push factor to maintain the level of cleanliness in one’s home to get rid of breeding spots for aedes mosquitoes.
“It encourages members of the community to look after the condition of their homes and COMBI volunteers get to do their work easily as they are used to the systematic inspection of homes,” added Dr. Afif.
In view of the simple and efficient yet economically expedient method of COMBI in combating dengue, a roadshow on this strategic approach will be held from Oct 3 to cover all five districts in Penang under the auspices of Dr Afif’s office.
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