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  Today Online 8 Feb 07
Dengue decline
Cases drop, but warm weather forecast means households cannot let down guard
Gracia Chiang

Channel NewsAsia 7 Feb 07
Fewer homes breeding mosquitoes, fewer dengue cases in 2006
By Wong Mun Wai

SINGAPORE: The number of homes found to be breeding mosquitoes dropped by two-thirds--from 53 in every 10,000 homes in 2005 to just 18 last year. Fewer dengue cases had also been reported.

In 2005, more than 14,000 people came down with dengue and 19 people died from it in the worst outbreak in Singapore for decades. The number dropped to about 3,100 in 2006.

Environment officers have been making their rounds to plant nurseries, shops and other commercial areas, and they plan to check even more of such areas over the next few days. This is on top of the work done by an inter-agency dengue task force.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has worked with 164 nurseries to check their premises and the plants that were specially brought in for the Lunar New Year--like Pussy Willow and Lucky Bamboo--for mosquito breeding. The Agency has fined two nurseries S$200 each for breeding Aedes mosquitoes.

It has distributed about 40,000 posters in HDB estates, urging residents to be vigilant in the run up to the Lunar New Year. 2,000 posters have also been distributed at plant nurseries.

The agency increased its checks on homes by about 60 percent last year. In 2006, 1,500,000 inspections were carried out, compared with 934,000 in 2005. NEA will also work with residents and their town councils to minimise mosquito breeding.

Tai Ji Choong, Head, Operations, Environmental Health Department, NEA, said: "We see people buying more of those decorative plants, especially Lucky Bamboos. There is a very high risk of mosquitoes breeding in those plants if they are not taken care of properly. The weather is also turning warmer, so we want everybody to play their part to make sure they're not breeding mosquitoes."

With warmer weather comes faster breeding time for mosquitoes, so some nurseries are taking extra precautions.

One of the nurseries is using a type of jelly to prevent mosquito breeding and pesticides to kill the larvae.

Chiam Whiteley, Owner, Chiam Garden, said: "Every morning, my guys will check the water, clear away the water from the previous day as well as add in medicine such as Abate or Laevikil. That's the prevention."

60 dengue cases a week were reported for the first four weeks of this year. That is the same weekly average as last year. - CNA/so

Today Online 8 Feb 07
Dengue decline
Cases drop, but warm weather forecast means households cannot let down guard
Gracia Chiang

FEWER people fell prey to the Aedes mosquito last year, with a nearly 78 per cent drop in the number of dengue cases. The number of homes fined for breeding Aedes mosquitoes also fell sharply by 66 per cent compared to that of 2005 after sample size was adjusted.

Giving this update yesterday, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said 3,126 dengue cases were reported last year, compared to 14,209 in 2005.

The agency said it had stepped up checks by about 60 per cent in the last year to 1.5 million homes. It also intensified search-and-destroy efforts in private estates and condominiums.

But the NEA is urging the public not to be complacent--especially with the weatherman forecasting dry and hot weather for Singapore over the next week. Warmer weather speeds up the reproduction ability of Aedes mosquitoes and results in proportionately more female Aedes mosquitoes--the carriers of the virus--being produced.

"We have done well last year but we don't want households to let down their guard," said Mr Tai Ji Choong, head of operations at NEA's Environmental Health Department.

This is especially so over the Lunar New Year when water-based plants, like pussy willow and lucky bamboo, adorn many homes. Since last month, environmental health executives have been checking plant nurseries, flower shops and commercial fairs once a week instead of every month.

Owners of plant nurseries like Mr Whiteley Chiam are going the extra mile to stay mosquito-free. Every morning, he and his staff overturn dustbins, change the water of all water-based plants and add water jelly crystals--which give insects the impression of a dry surface--in flower pots.

The last measure has cost Mr Chiam $300 but he is more than willing to do this. "Five years ago, my younger brother caught dengue fever so this has always been a concern to me. I know how terrible it is to suffer from it," he said.

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