Chikungunya: Singaporean is 10th person warded

Dengue-like disease: Singapporean is 10th person warded
Lee Hui Chieh, Straits Times 24 Jan 08;

A SINGAPOREAN man has been hospitalised with the mosquito-borne, dengue-like disease, chikungunya.

He became the latest - and the 10th - person to contract the virus here.

Before this outbreak, all 13 previous cases of chikungunya here had been imported.

Like the other nine patients, the latest patient had not travelled recently.

He worked in Clive Street, where all but one of the other patients lived. That last patient lodged nearby at Dickson Street, off Clive Street.

Apart from the latest patient, all the others are foreign nationals. Only one of them remains warded at the Communicable Disease Centre.

Save for two patients who had gone to see Dr S.L. Sarma, who owns a clinic in the area, the others were detected through screenings in the area by health officers. The screenings were started after Dr Sarma alerted the Health Ministry.

Since Jan 14, they have sent blood samples of 1,380 people living or working in the Clive Street area to the National Environment Agency's (NEA) Environmental Health Institute for testing.

The NEA has also deployed 20 of its officers, and hired 15 private pest control operators - almost three times more people than usual - to comb the Clive Street area for mosquito breeding sites. They have also carried out fogging there repeatedly.

The agency has also sent another 35 officers and 25 private pest control operators to check areas beyond Clive Street, which are bounded by Rochor Road, Race Course Road, Lavender Road and Jalan Besar.

Altogether, the officers and operators have checked close to 2,800 premises and destroyed 59 mosquito breeding sites.

Ten Chikungunya cases detected as of Wednesday
Channel NewsAsia 24 Jan 08;

SINGAPORE: Another person has been infected with Chikungunya fever, bringing the total number of cases to ten so far.

The Ministry of Health said the latest case is a Singaporean with no recent travel history. But he works near Clive Street, the area where the cluster of cases was earlier detected.

All the cases were treated at the Communicable Disease Centre. Eight have been admitted for isolation and management. All but two have since been discharged.

The ministry and the National Environment Agency (NEA) have screened about 1,380 people from the Clive Street area since 14 January, and will continue the screenings on Thursday.

NEA has also inspected close to 2,800 premises in the area for mosquito breeding grounds, and a total of 59 breeding spots have been destroyed.

NEA will continue the operation until the virus threat is removed from the area.- CNA