Dengue cases up after 3-year decline

Dengue cases up after 3-year decline

SOURCE: channelnewsasia

SINGAPORE : Dengue cases in Singapore are up this year, after a three-year decline.

The number of cases in the first 11 months of this year hit 5,016, compared to 4,497 for the whole of last year, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA).

The number of cases had been dropping from 8,826 in 2007 to 7,031 in 2008 and to below 5,000 last year.

The agency said the increase in cases this year can be attributed to the number of breeding sites, which had hit a high of some 18,000 so far.

NEA said breeding sites were found everywhere - from residences to non-residential areas to construction sites.

Nearly 11,000 homes were found with breeding sites - an increase of 31.5 per cent from the same period last year.

For non-residential premises such as schools and shopping centres, the increase was about 28 per cent.

The number of construction sites found with breeding areas also went up by 16.7 per cent. Although construction sites saw the smallest increase, it is a concern for pest control companies.

Ng Say Kiat, Singapore Pest Management Association, said: "Because of the size of the construction sites, the opportunity for mosquitoes to breed is of course higher. And when mosquitoes breed at the construction sites, usually it's in large areas, and the mosquito density most likely will be higher."

However, Mr Ng said current enforcement and regulations are sufficient.

"NEA has stepped up spot checks at the construction sites and the intensity is definitely enough. With this increase in frequency of inspections, the mosquito breeding likelihood is much, much lower," he added.

Experts also advise contractors to work closely with pest management companies to ensure sites are free of mosquito breeding areas.

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