3rd Blog: Dengue in Singapore

Title of article: Dengue cases still on the rise
Author: Salma Khalik
Publication: The Straits Times
Date of article: 15/04/2008

In the past few years, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has been actively publicizing the effects of dengue fever and preventive measures for the breeding of mosquitos. Despite the stepped-up efforts of the NEA this year to fight mosquito breeding, the number of dengue victims is still relatively high. In the first 4 months of 2008, 1,401 people caught dengue, compared to 944 in the same period in 2007.

It is not a surprise that there are many cases of dengue despite our miniscule population size. With Singapore's hot and wet tropical climate, it is simply too easy for mosquitos to breed. Constant rain increases the possible breeding spots for mosquitoes, while the warm temperature allows the virus to multiply faster due to the shorter incubation period in the mosquito's body.

I personally believe that the NEA has been doing a pretty good job at attempting to reduce the dengue cases. One of the actions NEA takes is to conduct house checks on possible breeding spots in homes. My house has been checked a few times by these NEA officials, and so far, I would have say that these officials have been very professional and detailed.

I believe one of the reasons for the breeding of such mosquitoes in homes is due to a misconception Singaporeans have. Many believe that a substantial volume of water is required for the breeding of these killer mosquitoes. Shockingly, a patch of water around the size of a 20-cent coin is all mosquitoes needs for breeding. This means that is very easy for breeding to occur in homes, especially when only such a small patch of water is required.

Due to the misconception mentioned earlier, many believe that the chances of having a mosquito breeding spot in their homes are very low. However, from the house checks conducted, there were many unexpected areas in which mosquito larvae have been found. Some areas include the inside of a toilet brush holder, toothbrush holder, umbrella and many more.

In my opinion, the most effective solution would be to educate and constantly remind Singaporeans to take preventive measures against mosquito breeding. Recently, there have been an advertisement by the NEA, showing a small boy who want suffering in the hospital due to dengue virus, following up with the parent being very sad and sorry for not doing any preventive measures against mosquito breeding. I think this advertisement is much better than the previous few by NEA, as it touches on the emotional aspect of Singaporeans, since all parents would not want their child to suffer.

Also, NEA should clear some of the misconceptions that many Singaporeans have, one being the amount of water required for mosquito breeding, and I believe by doing so, Singaporeans would be more cautious of the possible breeding spots in their homes and this will thus reduce the dengue cases in Singapore.

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