wild places | wild happenings | wild news
make a difference for our wild places

home | links | search the site
  all articles latest | past | articles by topics | search wildnews
wild news on wildsingapore
  Channel NewsAsia 6 Apr 06
NEA to launch pre-emptive strike against dengue
By Valarie Tan

Today Online 7 Apr 06
 NEA ups anti-mozzie efforts
Cheow Xin Yi

Checks for breeding sites to intensify as dengue cases are expected to go up as weather turns warmer

EXPECT a knock on your door at least once every six months from National Environment Agency (NEA) officers looking for potential breeding habitats of mosquitoes. These efforts, which are expected to reach an approximate 1.1 million households and other public premises, are part of an ongoing surveillance system started since January this year.

Though the number of dengue cases has dropped for the first quarter, compared to the same period last year, NEA is stepping up its efforts against the Aedes mosquito.From January to March last year, there were over 2,800 cases of dengue reported. For the same period this year, the number was 749.

But as Singapore heads for a warmer and wetter season, NEA will intensify the combing of public areas for a month, starting from April 17.

Said Environmental Health Department head Dalson Chung: "With the warmer months that are coming up in May, June and July ... based on the last year's trend, we can expect the dengue cases to go up. "So, to reverse this trend, we will be intensifying our search-and-destroy operations ... At the same time, we'd also like to urge all the households to continue to be vigilant and practice their 10-minute, 5-step Mozzie Wipeout campaign.
"Together, I think we can reduce the number of breedings in homes and also outside homes."

NEA will also designate inspectors to the various constituencies in Singapore to work with officers from town councils and the Inter-Agency Task Force, deploying up to 1,500 inspectors for the task. The inspectors will conduct checks on all premises in Singapore every three to six months.

"Breeding is the only thing we can step up on for dengue prevention, since other factors such as temperature, weather and our immune system to the virus is out of our control," said Mr Chung.

For homes found with potential breeding grounds, NEA officers will educate and give verbal advice on ways to eliminate them. But $100 fines will be issued if actual mosquito larvae are found in the home. The amount will be doubled for repeat offences.

Channel NewsAsia 6 Apr 06
NEA to launch pre-emptive strike against dengue
By Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : The National Environment Agency is launching an intensive strike against dengue, which spreads faster in hot weather. Although cases have been low -- 700 so far this year, compared to nearly 3,000 in the same period last year -- the agency believes pre-emptive action is the way to go.

The weather is getting hot and that suits the Aedes mosquito just fine, because as things get hotter, so do female mosquitoes, carriers of the dengue virus. They will produce more female eggs in the hot sun. The heat will also help the mosquito grow from larva to deadly adult faster, in less than 10 days compared to the usual two weeks. The virus also multiplies more quickly.

So from mid-April, the Environment Agency will be doing a one-month intensive sweep of the outdoors. Covering some 120,000 HDB blocks, schools and public areas, the intensive exercise targets possible breeding areas like common corridors and drains.

This will involve a task force from over 23 agencies like Town Councils and HDB. Said Dalson Chung, head (environmental health operations, National Environment Agency, "At the same time, we would like to urge all the households to continue to be vigilant and practice the 10-minute, 5-step mozzie wipe-out campaign. Together, I think we can bring down the number of breedings at homes and also outside homes."

Over the past few months, officers have been hitting the ground islandwide to record and get familiar with potential breeding grounds at places like construction sites, schools and plant nurseries. So when dengue cases are reported, they would know which are the hotspots to go to and destroy.

This is all part of preventive measures to identify problem areas before the virus spreads.

More than 500 officers will fan out across Singapore regularly to go door-to-door and check on some 1.1 million households every six months and all other public areas every three months. This will be stepped up once more than two dengue cases have been reported in an area.

A marker has also been devised for officers to step in and clean up even before the Health Ministry reports a dengue case. - CNA /ct
links
Related articles on Singapore: general environment issues and Singapore: dengue
about the site | email ria
  News articles are reproduced for non-profit educational purposes.
 

website©ria tan 2003 www.wildsingapore.com