Singapore out to nip dengue epidemic
Friday, June 22, 2007
OVER the past months, men in white, short-sleeved shirts and navy blue pants have been scouring the heartland of Singapore in search of a tiny enemy the Aedes mosquito, carrier of the dengue fever virus.
The local media often calls these environmental health officers "the mosquito busters" and their job has become ever more crucial now as the republic sees a resurgence of dengue cases in recent weeks.
Last week, the number of weekly dengue cases shot up to 401 cases, surpassing the epidemic threshold of 378 cases per week. The disease has claimed two lives so far this year.
These National Environment Agency officers are like soldiers trying to pulverise the enemy's grounds. Moving systematically into the target areas, these teams of mosquito busters, now numbering about 500 officers, go from house to house, and at times go down on their knees to check drains to see just where these mosquitoes are hiding and breeding.
The NEA cited the spells of intermittent rain coupled with warm weather as among the reasons for the rise in the dengue cases.
"It has provided the mosquito ample opportunities to breed in minute pools of stagnant water formed and reformed all over the island," the agency said.
The authorities are not only dealing with dengue season but also the change in the predominant strain of virus from Den-1 to Den-2, which has also contributed to the rise in the cases of dengue.
The NEA said the agency, together with 25 members of the Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force, will continue with the stepped-up measures focusing on daily checks on the ground to search out and destroy mosquito-breeding habitats.
Other than homes, checks are being done in outdoor areas and drains. Bernama
The local media often calls these environmental health officers "the mosquito busters" and their job has become ever more crucial now as the republic sees a resurgence of dengue cases in recent weeks.
Last week, the number of weekly dengue cases shot up to 401 cases, surpassing the epidemic threshold of 378 cases per week. The disease has claimed two lives so far this year.
These National Environment Agency officers are like soldiers trying to pulverise the enemy's grounds. Moving systematically into the target areas, these teams of mosquito busters, now numbering about 500 officers, go from house to house, and at times go down on their knees to check drains to see just where these mosquitoes are hiding and breeding.
The NEA cited the spells of intermittent rain coupled with warm weather as among the reasons for the rise in the dengue cases.
"It has provided the mosquito ample opportunities to breed in minute pools of stagnant water formed and reformed all over the island," the agency said.
The authorities are not only dealing with dengue season but also the change in the predominant strain of virus from Den-1 to Den-2, which has also contributed to the rise in the cases of dengue.
The NEA said the agency, together with 25 members of the Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force, will continue with the stepped-up measures focusing on daily checks on the ground to search out and destroy mosquito-breeding habitats.
Other than homes, checks are being done in outdoor areas and drains. Bernama
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