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  The Electric New Paper 6 Jul 07
37 get dengue in one month at Pasir Ris Drive 6
Is this super mosquito breeding site?
By Teh Jen Lee

Channel NewsAsia 4 Jul 07
Man to be charged in court for allegedly breeding mosquitoes

Today Online 5 Jul 07
Pond owner nabbed for mosquito breeding
Tan Hui Leng

IN what is believed to be the first such case this year, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will haul the owner of a commercial fishing pond in Pasir Ris to court for the alleged breeding of mosquitoes.

NEA officers had found more than 600 mosquito larvae at a pumping station there. Pasir Ris Drive 6 is the top dengue hotspot in Singapore.

"This pumping station happens to be en route for residents going to the MRT station," general manager of NEA's north east regional office, Mr Silachart Lau, told Channel NewsAsia. "Though we have destroyed the breeding, we believe some of the mosquitoes may have found their way into nearby homes."

If found guilty, the owner of the fishing pond could be fined up to $5,000 or jailed for up to three months, or both.

Meanwhile, the Central Singapore District contributes to one-third of dengue cases islandwide.

At the third Central Singapore District Forum yesterday, Environment and Water Resources Minister Dr Yaacob Ibrahim urged participants to take active steps against dengue. The number of dengue cases in the district over the first six months of the year surpassed 1,100, or 31 per cent more than last year. Yesterday, 43 new cases were reported as of 4pm.

To help spread the anti-dengue message, some 500 activities have been organised, such as the Senior Citizen Outreach Programme to Enrich.

Dr Yaacob also announced that the annual Clean and Green Week would be replaced by the inaugural Clean and Green Singapore initiative this year, a month-long effort.

Channel NewsAsia 4 Jul 07
Man to be charged in court for allegedly breeding mosquitoes

SINGAPORE : In what's believed to be the first such case this year, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will haul a man to court for allegedly breeding mosquitoes.

He is the owner of a commercial fishing pond in Pasir Ris. Pasir Ris Drive 6 has become the number one dengue hotspot in Singapore, with close to 40 new cases as of Wednesday.

The NEA believes a pumping station at a commercial fishing pond there is the main culprit. NEA officers found over 600 mosquito larvae there.

But they pointed out that they did not find mosquito larvae at the same site during their earlier checks. "This pumping station happens to be en route for residents going to the MRT station. Though we have destroyed the breedings, we believe some of the mosquitoes may have found their way into the nearby homes," said Silachart Lau, GM of Northeast Regional Office, NEA.

If found guilty, the owner of the fishing pond could be fined a maximum of S$5,000 or face a jail term of up to three months, or both.

NEA said the cluster at Pasir Ris Drive 6 stands out for the large number of outdoor breeding grounds found.

It has alerted all relevant partners, but more needs to be done as officers found more mosquito larvae in the drains outside a nearby HDB after rounds of mass combing exercises. - CNA /ls

The Electric New Paper 6 Jul 07
37 get dengue in one month at Pasir Ris Drive 6
Is this super mosquito breeding site?
By Teh Jen Lee

TWO days ago, Pasir Ris Drive 6 became the biggest dengue cluster so far this year, overtaking Kim Keat and West Coast. For a while, the authorities were baffled by the cluster, which formed on 4 Jun. In just a month, there have been 37 cases.

Last week, the National Environment Agency (NEA) may have solved the mystery by tracing the culprit to the pump chamber of a commercial fishing pond. NEA inspectors found 600 larvae in the pump room, which had been checked two weeks earlier.

The fishing pond's owner will be charged in court instead of a compound fine. A spokesman for NEA said: 'We've repeatedly said that pump rooms are potential breeding sites so the owner should have been more vigilant.'

Mosquitoes from the pump room probably bit residents of Pasir Ris Drive 6 as they walked to the MRT station nearby.

'We have not spoken to all the dengue patients, but many of them have told us that they would walk past the area near the pump room,' the spokesman said.

With this major breeding site removed, it is hoped the dengue numbers will start to drop.

Residents have been jittery. Madam Lau Guek Siang, 67, who stays over in her son's flat regularly, said in Malay: 'We are afraid of mosquitoes because we hear of people being hospitalised. We make sure to remove stagnant water in our homes.'

When housewife Alice Tan, 55, who has lived in the area for 16 years, heard about the pump room, she said: 'Taking the owner to court may not solve the problem. I think there should be strict criteria for the operation of such premises. If they can't meet the criteria, close them down.'

NEA has intensified operations in Pasir Ris Drive 6, increasing the number of vector control personnel making daily checks from eight to more than 20.

Besides the pump room, breeding sites were also found in two homes, a closed drain, an inspection chamber, a tree hole and two discarded cups.
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