"They should be more active and concerned about the issue since they have the support from the Government," said the Ministry's disease control director Dr Ramlee Rahmat yesterday.

He said this when asked whether the current efforts by all quarters including the local authorities, were satisfactory following the Cabinet's declaration yesterday of an all-out war against dengue.

It was reported that the relevant Ministries were told to send their enforcement teams to the ground and come down hard on those with aedes mosquitoes in their premises.

The groups likely to feel the heat are factory owners and property developers.

They will not be let off with fines but have stop-work orders served on them. Dr Ramlee said since the local authorities were conducting gotong-royong, RAs should get more involved in combating the spread, preferably the clinics or health department, he said. It was reported last week that office workers, factory owners and contractors were advised to form their own committees in dengue-prone places to check on aedes breeding grounds in their respective areas.

At the very least, they can put some larvicide like Abate at the breeding sites to destroy the aedes larvae, Dr Ramlee said.

"If they need advice or input on how to fight dengue, they can approach Government health clinic as this will help reduce the dengue situation tremendously."