Dengue cases on the rise!
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July 20, 2005
Dengue cases surge to new weekly high
Calls for public vigilance as authorities step up control measures
By Radha Basu
SINGAPORE'S mosquito menace shows no signs of abating with the number of dengue cases here hitting a new weekly high.
EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY: 'Whether or not you're living in a landed property or HDB flat, if you have a puddle of water which is neglected, that will be attractive to the Aedes mosquito. And then it will become a problem.' - Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, on the dengue threat. -- THE NEW PAPER
An average of 362 cases was recorded per week in the first half of this month, the National Environment Agency (NEA) told The Straits Times last night.
This eclipses previous highs not just this year but last year as well, and is possibly an all-time record.
At close to 9,500 cases, Singapore witnessed the biggest dengue resurgence in recent years last year. The highest weekly average then was 332 cases, chalked up in August. At 329 cases, the weekly average last month came close to surpassing that record.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim dwelt at length on Singapore's fight against dengue.
While the NEA, which oversees dengue control operations, had stepped up vigilance and control activities, people too should ensure they don't breed mosquitoes at home, the minister said.
The surge, however, is expected. The clinical director of the Communicable Disease Centre, Associate Professor Leo Yee Sin, told The Straits Times recently the number of dengue cases this year was likely to surpass last year's record if the rate of new infections continued.
At the same time, the NEA warned that every year, the number of cases would swell by about 25 per cent between June and August when temperatures are high with intermittent rain.
The virus thrives in such conditions.
The NEA, Dr Yaacob said, will send out more people and step up checks on mosquito breeding in residential areas, particularly those prone to dengue. They are parts of the central, northern and eastern suburbs, including places such as Yishun, Woodlands and Geylang.
He urged home owners to join the battle. 'Our greatest challenge is with individual households,' he said.
As part of intensified public education efforts, the NEA had briefed the 84 citizens' consultative committees and 16 town councils on the dengue situation in their areas. The briefings were conducted over the past two weeks, the minister said.
Next month, the NEA will distribute a new set of dengue education kits designed for the 70,000 families that live in landed property.
More money will also be spent on the battle. The NEA has set aside an annual budget of $5,000 for each of the committees and $50,000 for each community development council to fund part of their community outreach programmes.
Dr Yaacob told Mr Leong Horn Kee (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) that the NEA would see if more money would be needed for these programmes.
To a question from Madam Cynthia Phua (Aljunied GRC), the minister said regardless of the type of home, a puddle of water spells trouble.
'Whether or not you're living in a landed property or HDB flat, if you have a puddle of water which is neglected, that will be attractive to the Aedes mosquito.
'And then it will become a problem.' -
lOL.. I kena b4 and had a long holidays.. =X Worse still the hospital which I approached didnt admit me immediately sia.. Ask me to go back everyday to take blood testes.. siao eh! Until i think dunno the 4th or 5th day really jialat liao then admit me in..
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is it?! wat hospital is tat?Originally posted by aiyo!:lOL.. I kena b4 and had a long holidays.. =X Worse still the hospital which I approached didnt admit me immediately sia.. Ask me to go back everyday to take blood testes.. siao eh! Until i think dunno the 4th or 5th day really jialat liao then admit me in..
poor u.. den took how long to recover?? -
can say which hospital here anot? dun wanna kena take to court sia.. after the 1 night stay at hospital.. better le lor.. on drip mah.. haha..Originally posted by BabyLover:is it?! wat hospital is tat?
poor u.. den took how long to recover?? -
got so serious meh go to courtOriginally posted by aiyo!:can say which hospital here anot? dun wanna kena take to court sia.. after the 1 night stay at hospital.. better le lor.. on drip mah.. haha..
u scard u pm mi wich hospital so i noe
anyway, 1 day drip n discharge? tats fast leh!! -
siao one lor.. kns de.. made me come and go everytime.. that time they even want me to admit into CDC.. siao.. I guess by now you shld know which hospital i was talking abt le hor.. the clue is up there.. And 1 thing sibei heng is that my dengue happens like 1mth b4 the SARS thing came.. wah siao.. if i tio 1 mth later and tio admit to that hospital.. it'd be scary liao..Originally posted by BabyLover:got so serious meh go to court
u scard u pm mi wich hospital so i noe
anyway, 1 day drip n discharge? tats fast leh!!
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yah so scary! if during tt time most will tink u kenna sars...Originally posted by aiyo!:siao one lor.. kns de.. made me come and go everytime.. that time they even want me to admit into CDC.. siao.. I guess by now you shld know which hospital i was talking abt le hor.. the clue is up there.. And 1 thing sibei heng is that my dengue happens like 1mth b4 the SARS thing came.. wah siao.. if i tio 1 mth later and tio admit to that hospital.. it'd be scary liao..
hehe... noe d hospital liaos..
nxtime dun go there lor.... -
ahaha.. next time sia.. are u hoping to tio dengue fever or get sick =XOriginally posted by BabyLover:yah so scary! if during tt time most will tink u kenna sars...
hehe... noe d hospital liaos..
nxtime dun go there lor.... -
ahaha.. *touch wood*Originally posted by aiyo!:ahaha.. next time sia.. are u hoping to tio dengue fever or get sick =X -
July 24, 2005
Dengue stings harder: Cases double to 6,000
By Shawn Woo
SOME 6,022 people fell ill with dengue fever from January to July this year - more than double the 2,770 cases in the same period last year.
The numbers have kept on rising, despite the National Environment Agency (NEA) spending $10 million on anti-dengue programmes for the first half of the year, $1 million more than for the same period last year.
The agency says 55 per cent of mosquito breeding grounds are in homes.
At a community event yesterday, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, said: 'On the part of NEA, we will step up our efforts, but ultimately it is a change in behaviour on the part of Singaporeans that is needed.'
He was speaking at a lunch to thank grassroots leaders and the community development councils for their efforts in the Mozzie Attack programme, an aggressive education and outreach campaign.
Yesterday, a new weapon in the dengue war was tried out in the South-east district. The community development council there came up with Dengue Alert Tags, to reach out to residents who may not be at home when volunteers call.
Volunteers can leave the tags on flowerpots, for example, as a reminder to residents to remove stagnant water from such pots and to overturn pails and watering cans.
Marine Crescent resident Mustaffa Kamal, 43, a property consultant, followed the council's advice when his potted plants were tagged, removing water from them every other day.
A new dengue prevention kit targeted at owners of landed homes is being developed and will be sent out to 70,000 families from next month. -
NEA site checks up 10 per cent
THE National Environment Agency has increased its mosquito breeding ground checks by 10 per cent this year, and hired 160 pest control workers to help its own force of 140 officers further intensify such checks.
A total of 6,774 cases of dengue fever were reported in the first seven months of this year, more than double the 3,219 cases in the same period last year.
The numbers continue to climb, due to hotter weather and a switch last year in the dominant strain of dengue virus.
There are four main strains of dengue virus, all of which will become dominant at some point in time. Patients infected by one strain develop an immunity to it after they recover, but are still vulnerable to the other strains.
Every one to three years, for unknown reasons, another strain becomes dominant, and many succumb to it.
The switch in dominant strain led to an unusually large number of cases in the usually quiet months of January and February, when 2,207 dengue fever cases were reported, compared to 624 last year -
Aug 26, 2005
Big rush to buy mozzie repellents
Mosquito coils, sprays selling well because of dengue scare
By Marcel Lee Pereira
ANTI-MOSQUITO products have been flying off the shelves of stores as Singaporeans, spooked by the number of dengue cases, scoop them up.
Most companies selling such products, from mosquito coils to anti-mosquito shower gel, report that sales are booming, especially for common anti-mosquito products, such as insect repellents.
They, however, declined to disclose the volume of sales, revealing only the proportional increase.
SC Johnson and Son, which sells the OFF! insect repellent spray, said sales had increased by as much as 30 per cent since the end of last year.
The company, which also markets the brand Baygon, had 43 per cent more people buy its Baygon mosquito coils compared to last year.
However, it was outdone by its competitor, Reckitt Benckiser, owner of insecticide brands such as Mortein. Sales of the Mortein Liquid Vaporiser, which uses electricity to turn a pesticide-laced liquid into an odourless vapour, rose by 100 per cent this year, from last year.
And for the past two months, 20 per cent more people bought insect repellents and insecticides at supermarket chain FairPrice's 76 outlets.
Agricultural companies in Singapore have joined the fray.
Zagro, an agricultural products company, said that it is partnering with FairPrice to introduce a larva killer, Vactor 1G, in the next two months. The larva killer was sold only to nurseries and pest control operators in the past.
Another local company, Okada Ecotech, already has a 'non-toxic' insecticide called VSafe in the market, which is 'safer than the sugar we eat', claims the company's executive director, Mr Chen Kang Ning.
And when all else fails, Singaporeans are even willing to try out the quirkier products, such as the mosquito plant. Its leaves contain citronella oil, which has been used for more than 50 years as an insect repellent.
Far East Flora marketing manager Peter Cheok said that he sells more than 100 of these plants a month.
And how about a shower gel that repels mosquitoes? Local health and beauty company, HealthWorkz, distributes such a product - the Natural Spa anti-mosquito shower gel.
HealthWorkz director Alicia Shing said that there is demand for its product, which has pure citronella oil as its active ingredient. But she declined to provide any sales figures.
And are these products effective against the Aedes mosquito?
Yes, some of them, said Mr Patrick Koh, assistant secretary of the Singapore Pest Management Association, who is also the director of pest control firm Fumiga.
'Most insect repellents do have the prescribed chemicals that control mosquitoes, so they generally work, provided they are applied according to the instructions,' he said.
'But I've not heard of an anti-mosquito soap.'
Administrative officer Dorothy Lai, 29, who has been using the shower gel every day for more than three months, is convinced it works.
She said: 'I've put insect repellent patches around my bed, but they weren't as effective.' -
my room again got mosquitos... I've fumigated my whole house again...
I always wonder where they come from and I've checked everywhere...
I suspect my neighbour but they are really agambling den and quite messy people and my corridore also got their things -
prolly not ur hse la.. outside near got den u sure kenna also.. or is ur area one of the dengue clustersOriginally posted by mistyblue:my room again got mosquitos... I've fumigated my whole house again...
I always wonder where they come from and I've checked everywhere...
I suspect my neighbour but they are really agambling den and quite messy people and my corridore also got their things -
yeah... my area also get hit one... bedok reservoirOriginally posted by BabyLover:prolly not ur hse la.. outside near got den u sure kenna also.. or is ur area one of the dengue clusters -
I guess it is due to construction or up-grading in the East.
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yeah hor... lift upgrading... everyone was forced into it...Originally posted by jojoma:I guess it is due to construction or up-grading in the East. -
my area classified as one of the blacklisted zone liao
Hope I don't ganna -
actually east n west oso got... i trying to get the list lah..
ST dun let mi save -
be careful lor.. mayb put some lotionOriginally posted by Kenashi:my area classified as one of the blacklisted zone liao
Hope I don't ganna -
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the wen zi very bigOriginally posted by BabyLover: -
dun rub it inOriginally posted by TehJarVu:the wen zi very big
whrs pct! help -
Heheh, where's the zoom button?
My friend lives in the east and she's hospitalised for dengue. -
hehehe.. i duno wat happen.. save n open ok den upload becum like tt...Originally posted by choco B:Heheh, where's the zoom button?
My friend lives in the east and she's hospitalised for dengue.
will try to enlarge ltr
heard alot of cases frm east side de.. scary