I am alarmed by the suggestion, in “To stamp out dengue, raise fines” (April 23), to increase the fines for mosquito breeding. Perhaps the writer is unaware or had not considered the implications.

Should an offender fail to pay a sum of $10,000, for example, a bankruptcy order may be imposed. Imagine an elderly couple living on their own or a working-class family slapped with a fine of this magnitude.

The authorities have been sending officers to check for breeding grounds and putting up banners with the number of dengue cases in an area, which creates awareness.

Perhaps the authorities should help citizens curb the breeding problem by giving out effective tablets and sand granular insecticide with advice on how, when and where to use these.

This enhances active citizenry and promotes the government-citizen relationship. This should not be seen as handouts.

The authorities should consider a new approach, lest the dengue problem escalates further.