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SINGAPORE: A total of 377 dengue cases were reported in the week ending Dec 26, the highest weekly number reported in 2015 so far, said Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Environment and Water Resources and Health.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Dec 29), Dr Khor said this number was “unusually high for this time of year”.
“Getting infected with one dengue strain does not mean you are immune against the others. This change in the main circulating dengue virus may be an early indicator of a future dengue outbreak, unless measures are taken to suppress the Aedes mosquito population,” she wrote.
The number of dengue cases per week. (Graph: NEA)
She also noted an increase in the number of dengue cases due to the DENV-2 serotype. It now accounts for more than half of all dengue cases in Singapore. The DENV-1 serotype had accounted for most of the dengue cases since March 2013.
As at Monday, there were 14 clusters classified as high-risk areas with 10 or more cases. The cluster at the top of the list is in Tampines, around Avenues 3 and 4 and Street 91, which saw 152 cases.The second-highest was at Joo Avenue and Sing Avenue, with 71 cases. The cluster around Pasir Ris Streets 11, 12, 21 and 51 saw 70 cases.
LARGEST DENGUE CLUSTER IN TAMPINES
In Tampines, most of the cases are located near the Downtown Line 3 construction site, said MP Masagos Zulkifli. Ten blocks in the area are also undergoing the Home Improvement Programme, which includes the upgrading of toilets and replacement of grilles at the flats' main entrance.
Mr Masagos said the affected Residents' Committee (RC) zones are: Tampines Polyview RC, Tampines Grove RC, Tampines Terrace RC and Tampines Palmspring RC. There are also a few dengue cases from Terrace RC, Grove RC and Palmspring RC.
A construction site at Tampines 91 (Photo: Faris Mokhtar)
In response to media queries, Mr Masagos also said that a total of 70 mosquito breeding sites were found and destroyed in Tampines, of which 45 were found in homes, 18 were in common areas of the estate and one within the Downtown Line 3 construction site.
NEA has conducted multiple rounds of inspections in homes and outdoor areas, including common areas of the estate, he said. Members of the RC in the affected area in Tampines have been visiting residents to raise awareness of the situation, share preventive measures, and hand out mosquito repellents, Mr Masagos added.
As of Nov 30, the National Environment Agency has conducted more than 1.3 million inspections island-wide. It has also been raising awareness on dengue prevention. According to Dr Khor, NEA is also working with stakeholders to implement “source reduction” to bring down the number of breeding habits.
“We need to keep our environment clean of stagnant water, so as to deprive the mosquitoes of their breeding habitats,” said Dr Khor, who says the majority of breeding is still found in homes.
With the warmer-than-usual year-end weather due to the El Nino phenomenon, Aedes mosquitos may also breed and mature faster, she said.
Members of the public whom Channel NewsAsia spoke with said they would constantly check their potted plants to ensure that there is no stagnant water.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/close-to-400-dengue-cases/2384080.html
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Dec 29), Dr Khor said this number was “unusually high for this time of year”.
“Getting infected with one dengue strain does not mean you are immune against the others. This change in the main circulating dengue virus may be an early indicator of a future dengue outbreak, unless measures are taken to suppress the Aedes mosquito population,” she wrote.
The number of dengue cases per week. (Graph: NEA)
She also noted an increase in the number of dengue cases due to the DENV-2 serotype. It now accounts for more than half of all dengue cases in Singapore. The DENV-1 serotype had accounted for most of the dengue cases since March 2013.
As at Monday, there were 14 clusters classified as high-risk areas with 10 or more cases. The cluster at the top of the list is in Tampines, around Avenues 3 and 4 and Street 91, which saw 152 cases.The second-highest was at Joo Avenue and Sing Avenue, with 71 cases. The cluster around Pasir Ris Streets 11, 12, 21 and 51 saw 70 cases.
LARGEST DENGUE CLUSTER IN TAMPINES
In Tampines, most of the cases are located near the Downtown Line 3 construction site, said MP Masagos Zulkifli. Ten blocks in the area are also undergoing the Home Improvement Programme, which includes the upgrading of toilets and replacement of grilles at the flats' main entrance.
Mr Masagos said the affected Residents' Committee (RC) zones are: Tampines Polyview RC, Tampines Grove RC, Tampines Terrace RC and Tampines Palmspring RC. There are also a few dengue cases from Terrace RC, Grove RC and Palmspring RC.
A construction site at Tampines 91 (Photo: Faris Mokhtar)
In response to media queries, Mr Masagos also said that a total of 70 mosquito breeding sites were found and destroyed in Tampines, of which 45 were found in homes, 18 were in common areas of the estate and one within the Downtown Line 3 construction site.
NEA has conducted multiple rounds of inspections in homes and outdoor areas, including common areas of the estate, he said. Members of the RC in the affected area in Tampines have been visiting residents to raise awareness of the situation, share preventive measures, and hand out mosquito repellents, Mr Masagos added.
As of Nov 30, the National Environment Agency has conducted more than 1.3 million inspections island-wide. It has also been raising awareness on dengue prevention. According to Dr Khor, NEA is also working with stakeholders to implement “source reduction” to bring down the number of breeding habits.
“We need to keep our environment clean of stagnant water, so as to deprive the mosquitoes of their breeding habitats,” said Dr Khor, who says the majority of breeding is still found in homes.
With the warmer-than-usual year-end weather due to the El Nino phenomenon, Aedes mosquitos may also breed and mature faster, she said.
Members of the public whom Channel NewsAsia spoke with said they would constantly check their potted plants to ensure that there is no stagnant water.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/close-to-400-dengue-cases/2384080.html
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