My most recent outing in the Sun on development, deforestation and dengue:
According to a 2009 study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, there is a strong correlation between the extent of forest destruction and the incidence of the Amazon’s most dangerous malaria vector, the anopheles darlingi mosquito.
The researchers found the malaria vector in 17% of ponds and streams where deforestation was heavy, in 10% of water bodies where forest disturbance was light, and in only 2% of water surrounded by intact forest.
Could the outcome be the same for Aedes mosquitoes, carrier of the dengue virus? My guess would be yes.
Selangor has experienced a loss of up to 10% of its forests between 1990 and 2012, according to a Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) study in 2013.
For more, click here. For the PDF download, click here.
Good news is that KIDEX has been scrapped, a development which would definitely have caused major environmental and ecological impact. Let’s hope it stays that way. What are your thoughts?