State health and unity committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said the operations were carried out to ensure all Aedes mosquito breeding grounds were eliminated to curb the spread of dengue fever.

In a statement, Ling said the people should ensure there was no stagnant water that could become breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes.

He said they needed to play a role in preventing the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes, including using insecticides, removing or covering water containers, and organising gotong-royong projects.

Ling said 152 cases of dengue fever were recorded in Johor in the 16th epidemiological week this year, compared with 156 cases the previous week.

“Of the total cases reported in the 16th week, 55 cases were from the epidemic localities and 97 cases were from non-epidemic localities.

“Johor Bahru recorded the highest number of cases at 111, followed by Kulai (13), Kluang (six), Muar, Kota Tinggi and Batu Pahat (five each), Segamat, Pontian and Tangkak (two each) and one case in Mersing,” he said.

He also said 353 cases of the XBB subvariant of Covid-19 had been reported in nine districts in the state as of April 22.

Johor Bahru recorded the highest number of XBB cases at 200, followed by Muar (33), Kulai (28), Batu Pahat (23), Kluang (22), Kota Tinggi (20), Tangkak (14), Pontian (11) and Segamat (two).